Ivy League Romance Part IV
by ReddTwilight
Summary: The final installment of the ILR Series. Bella and Edward's senior year of college mixed with a little fun, a little craziness, a lot of love, and a new furry friend with a propensity to take up all of the available space in bed
1. New Family Member

**Chapter 1, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

It had been a busy afternoon rushing between classes and then meeting up back home. We were both exhausted, but laughing as I unlocked the door and pushed it open with my shoulder since both our hands were filled with groceries and take out for the night.

I barely got through the front door, however, before my eyes fell on the mess of cushion stuffing and ripped material on the living room floor, and our four-month old puppy, Bear, curled up on the empty spot on the couch. His head was cocked to the side as he watched Edward and I walk through the door, his tail thumping loudly on the bare couch as he took in Edward and immediately jumped down from the couch to greet his Daddy.

"You…little…" I grumbled as Bear started to jump up to try and get into Edward's arms.

"No, you're naughty." Edward told him sternly, and Bear looked up at him with his glassy eyes and his ears back.

"I thought we put him in the kennel this morning." I sighed as I set some groceries down on the table.

"We did, he got out."

"How?"

Edward just shrugged. He set his own things down on the table and went to grab Bear's lead from the hook by the door. In the meantime the puppy busied himself with yanking apart more of the cushion he had already destroyed.

"Bear!" Edward and I shouted together. "Remind me again why we got a puppy?" He asked as he slipped the soft cotton lead around Bear's neck and fixed it so it was lose enough to control him and not too tight.

"It was your idea." I retorted as an answer, unpacking the perishables.

Edward just grumbled as he took Bear outside so he could relieve himself. I stood there staring at the mess in the living room and tried to remember the exact conversation that had led to this moment, and the new addition to our lives.

2 Months Earlier

_I moaned loudly as sleep began to wear off and my body began to wake naturally. Despite that it was Saturday, and it was July, I was still waking up between 6:30 and 7 in the morning as I did every day during the semester. The clock on my nightstand confirmed for me that it only quarter to seven. _

_So with a sigh I sat up and set my feet on the floor, stretching lightly. Edward mumbled something in his sleep next to me, but he didn't wake up. I was so jealous. I sat on the edge of the bed contemplating if I wanted to take a shower or just wander out into the kitchen. My need for caffeine won and I found my hand on the coffee pot switch without actually remembering walking in to the kitchen. _

_Edward came out a little while later grumbling incoherently about the early hour and made himself a cup before sitting down next to me at the table. I was going through my recipe box looking for new ideas to try throughout the week. _

"_So I was thinking last night about that conversation we had earlier in the year about you needing a car." Edward mentioned suddenly, catching me off guard. _

"_Yes, I do need a car. What were you thinking about exactly?" I pushed the recipe box to the side._

"_I was thinking…since we're engaged and all." Edward flashed me a smile and his eyes dropped to my left hand, "and we'll be wanting a house someday, we should apply for a car loan and start establishing some credit." _

_I was surprised by his clarity considering he had just gotten up. "Ok, but will we get it on our own?" _

"_We should be able to, and my parents could always cosign if we need them to, but we would be the ones making the payments so the credit established would be in our name." _

"_So we would have to sign it both 'Cullen'?" _

_Edward shrugged, "I don't know precisely how these things work, but I can sign it under the name 'Cullen' at least."_

"_I suppose that works."_

_We sipped our coffees in silence for a minute or so before Edward brought up another topic. And not one I had been expecting to have for a long, long time. _

"_So while we're on the subject of things we should be taking care of before marriage, I thought we should talk about…"_

"_Please don't say kids." I interrupted suddenly. I held up one hand to caution him. It's not that I didn't want to talk about the prospect of children with him, it was just way too early to even think about the topic. _

"_Well, I was going to say, maybe, we should adopt a dog. To see how we handle having to take care of someone else."_

_For the second time this morning I was completely taken aback by the thoughts on Edward's mind. "Wow, I was not expecting that one." _

"_What do you think, though?"_

_I sipped my coffee, staring at him over the rim of the cup. He stared right back. "Puppy or full-grown dog?"_

"_Puppy." _

"_You're sure about that?" _

"_Yes, preferably a rescue dog. That's what Marcus was before we got him." _

_I smiled at the memory of Edward's big, slobbery lap dog. If Alice hadn't put him out back last week at the party he would have made a new home on my lap and destroyed my dress. He was very affectionate for a dog that weighed almost fifty pounds more than I did. _

"_You really want to do this?" I asked him again. Sometimes he got these wild ideas into his head and there was no deterring him from them until he saw them through to fruition. "A puppy is a lot of work." _

"_Yeah, but if we adopt a puppy now, maybe a two-month-old he, or she, would already be on a solid food diet, maybe housebroken, and we can get used to a good pattern and routine before the semester starts."_

_It did make sense, in a crazy, completely stupid, what-the-hell-are-we-doing sort of way. "Ok, lets get a puppy. I want a pit bull." _

"_Well, lets go to the local SPCA and see what rescue puppies they have before you get your heart set on a pit bull."_

_So on Monday we located the SPCA and drove almost forty minutes to see their puppies. Edward had done a little research on Sunday to see what puppies they were currently housing and when the most adorable half pit bull, half American bulldog puppy stared at me from the screen I instantly fell in love. _

_Once we were inside, and surrounded on all sides by rooms of rescue animals, we told the volunteer who came up to help us that we were interested in adopting the puppy from the website. _

_She took us to the back kennels to show us the puppies, pointing out the little mutt who had stolen my heart with a simple picture. He was the sweetest thing I had ever seen and I knew I wanted him, but did Edward want him? _

"_Oh my God," I cooed looking down into those big, brown glassy eyes. "What's his name?" I asked Jenny, the volunteer helping us. _

"_Bear. The owners had to move because of a new job and they couldn't afford to keep him." _

"_Edward…" I glanced up at him with the same eyes that Bear was giving me. _

"_If you want to consider adopting him, you can spend a few minutes with him in a private room to see how he takes to you." Jenny offered. _

_Edward was shaking his head. This had been his idea originally and I had had my doubts, but I was the one hopelessly in love here. I _had_ to have this dog. I wanted to give him a good home with plenty of love. _

_Jenny went into the kennel and collected Bear then escorted us to a small room where we could sit down and play with Bear for a few minutes. She stayed with us, giving us a brief overview of the little puppy. He was almost nine weeks old, on a steady dry food diet, housebroken for the most part but he still had an occasional accident._

_Edward and I sat on the floor rolling a tennis ball around and watching as Bear chased it back and forth between us. He continually leapt into Edward's lap and gave him plenty of kisses. I got an occasional lap full of puppy, but not nearly as much love as Edward was receiving. _

"_Why does he love you more?"_

"_No clue," Edward managed to get out in between the facial Bear was currently giving him. _

_Jenny stood by the door laughing quietly. "He's a very social puppy." She warned us. "He'll jump a lot, so you'll need to try and break him of that before he gets too big. His breed mix is mostly muscle weight, so when he rams into you when he's fully grown, you're going to feel it." _

"_And bruise," I added, knowing how sensitive my own body was. _

_Edward just chuckled and continued to allow Bear to lick his face. _

It was only a couple hours later that, after Bear had been checked by the on-sight vet, and we had filled out a ton of paperwork and paid for him, that we took Bear home. We stopped on the way to pick up a new kennel, a dog bed for inside it, bowls, food and toys as well as other necessities for new "puppy parents" as Jenny had called us at the shelter.

Edward had thought we would be in and out of the pet store in no time, but Bear had a mind of his own and greeted each person we came upon, a wide grin on his sweet little face.

I was still picking up pieces of the destroyed cushion when Edward walked back in the door with Bear, grinning from floppy ear to floppy ear, so I assumed his business had been taken care of.

"Did you have a talk with him?"

"Of course, but I doubt he understood a single word. All he did was sit there and stare at me as if I were the most fascinating thing in the world."

I couldn't help but chuckle as I picked up the last few bits of the stuffing and tossed them in the grocery bag I was using for trash. I shoved what remained of the cushion back on to the couch and turned to face Bear, but he was currently curled up on his dog bed inside the kennel.

"Oh of course you go back in there _now_." I sighed at him.

Later that night, after we had shut Bear in his kennel for the night, Edward and I were attempting a little personal time together. It had been almost ten days since the last time we were intimate, and I was more than desperate. I knew he was.

I had one arm wrapped around the width of his back, my hand buried in his hair holding his mouth to mine as my other hand traveled down the length of his naked body to explore between his legs. Edward moaned into my mouth, detaching from me to bury his face in my neck. I began to stroke him, feeling him harden under my touch.

"More," Edward panted in my ear, his hips already lifting from the bed and snapping forward. "More,"

I stroked him harder, running my thumb over the head making him writhe above me. He pushed himself into my palm with each thrust forward of his hips. "That feels so good."

"Shush,"

I wrapped my arm tighter around his back as he raised himself up on one arm, his hips moving frantically with the rhythm of my hand. He attempted to jerk down the boxers I was wearing tonight that I had borrowed from his side of the underwear drawer.

"No," I shifted to move his hand away, "let me…" I started, but failed to finish. Edward's mouth covered mine as he moved harder and faster above me.

"God, so close…"

Just then we heard the most pitiful wail from the living room.

Edward stopped moving but he was still panting. He collapsed, his body half lying on top of mine. He groaned into the pillows, his body twitching lightly. "He has the most inopportune timing." But his voice was muffled.

"We can't leave him out there like that. He'll wake the neighbors."

"Fuck the neighbors."

"Edward,"

Bear whined again loudly from his kennel, the sound even more mournful than before. "I'm sorry, I can't just leave him out there like that." I threw the blanket back and headed out to the living room.

"He never did this before." Edward stated as he followed me, tossing on a pair of shorts. "I don't get it. He only started crying like this a couple weeks ago."

"Maybe he's just scared." I offered, flicking the light on.

Bear sat up in his kennel right away, his head cocked to one side as his tail thumped against the dog bed. He stood up as we approached, his tail now wagging as I crouched down in front of the kennel.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked him sweetly. "You don't want to be alone?"

"He's not sleeping in the bed with us. He'll take up half the space."

"So we'll bring the dog bed in with us. He can sleep there."

"Yeah, but you know he won't."

I unlocked the kennel and let Bear out. Of course he went straight for Edward and jumped up so he could lick Edward's face. "What if he has an accident?"

"So take him out to pee real quick, I'll get his bed situated."

I was already back in bed when Edward and Bear came into the room ten minutes later. I had placed the dog bed on Edward's side, but instead of curling up on it, Bear jumped up on the bed and proceeded to spoon between Edward and I, facing Edward.

I huffed and turned over.

"What? I can't help that he loves me."

"Loves you more, you mean." I grumbled.

"Bells, turn back over, its lonely on this side."

"But you have _him_, what do you need me for?" I teased, laughing quietly to myself. I felt Edward's hand slip around my waist and he yanked me closer to him, effectively driving Bear out from the space between us.

He circled the bed until he realized the only spot left for him was next to me now. So what did he do? He curled up at Edward's feet. I sighed again, but turned over and snuggled closer to Edward, happy in the knowledge that at least he would spoon up with me if I asked him to.

So much for the personal time tonight.


	2. Bear

**Chapter 2, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

"It's your turn," I mumbled sleepily as Bear began whining out in the living room. It was just after three in the morning, and he was beginning his new nightly routine of crying until someone came out and brought him into the room with us.

"It's _your_ turn," Bella mumbled back, her voice muffled by her pillow. "I did it last night."

"We can't bring him in here every time he starts crying. He's going to think it's ok to come in here whenever he wants, and he takes up half the bed already. He's only going to get bigger."

I heard Bella shuffle beside me and suddenly I was looking up at her as she scowled down at me. "Edward Anthony Cullen, I have an eight-thirty seminar on the benefits of modern techniques in psychiatry. You don't have class until eleven. Now you get your lazy ass out there and bring him in. I need sleep."

I just stared up at her for a moment. Ever since we had brought Bear home, and he had taken that shine to me, Bella had been meaner than usual. Maybe the word moodier was better here, but it was like she was on some constant PMS cycle. Like she was holding Bear's particular affection for me against me. It wasn't my fault that he bonded with me first, he just needed the time to bond with Bella.

"Yes, dear." I muttered, and got out of bed to fetch the puppy. Bella gave my ass a light smack as I went and I thought I saw the shadow of a smile on her face as I walked out. "You're getting me into more and more trouble with the matron." I told Bear as I scooped him up from his kennel. "She's going to have us both on leashes soon if you're not careful."

Bear just yawned in my arms, content enough to fall asleep before I even made it back to the bedroom. As a peace offering I set him down on one side of the bed where he remained curled up, leaving enough space for Bella and I to cuddle.

"Better?" I asked as I slipped back beneath the sheet.

"Much, thank you." She snuggled up to me, laying her head on my chest and draped one arm across my torso. "I love you,"

"Love you, too."

We were both up at seven when the alarm went off, although how Bear remained asleep was a mystery to me. I woke him up and told him to wait on the bed while I got dressed to take him for a walk. Bella was already in the shower and I could see the steam issuing from where she had left the door cracked open. If I didn't need to take Bear out I would be highly tempted to get naked and jump in there with her. We were overdue for some good, wet, slippery shower sex.

But the soft whine from our puppy and the sound of his paw scraping the bedroom door broke me from the thought and I finished getting ready to take him out. When we got back Bella was dressed and throwing her bag together for the morning. She already had the coffee brewing, and I perked up just from the aroma.

"Sorry about last night, if I seemed bitchy." Bella apologized as I walked in.

"You didn't, I liked it."

"Really?" One eyebrow raised at my answer. "And what did you like about it?"

I felt my cheeks flush and tried to come up with a way of explaining to her that I liked it when she bossed me around without it sounding kinky. I busied myself with getting Bear's breakfast ready and made a show of feeding it to him just to distract Bella from wanting her answer right away.

"Well,"

"I like it when you're bossy." I muttered, "It's sexy."

"Well, then I'll just be more bossy from now on." She grinned at me triumphantly and went about making two cups of coffee.

"I liked it last night because we were both half awake and the combination of you half awake and being bossy like that was sexy." I clarified for her, because I knew she would use this confession against me to get me to do as many chores around the apartment since I had the lighter course load this semester (for once).

Bella just shook her head at me as she sipped her coffee. "Can I make a request at least then?"

"Of course, whatever you want."

"I think we should get Bear trained."

"Yes, I think so, too."

"So why don't you do a little research on local trainers and we can talk about it at lunch when we both get back from campus?"

"Are we going to…you know...?" I started to ask. I hope she caught it because I just couldn't bring myself to say it. The thought alone was terrifying.

"Have him neutered? Do you want to?"

We both looked down at Bear as he finished his breakfast, inhaling the last few bits of kibble. "I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't unman him like that."

Bella sniggered, "_Unman_ him, Edward? You know all the vet has to do is remove the testicles and the sac remains, right?"

"Ugh, don't. I don't want to know." I held up both my hands and Bella laughed harder.

Before she left for her morning classes we decided that we were not getting Bear neutered, and maybe we would even breed him after he was a year old, but that was just a thought. I settled down to do a little research on local dog trainers while Bear laid down and gnawed away on a marrow bone we had gotten him so he wouldn't chew the furniture. But that didn't stop him.

One of the dining room chair's legs was thinned out with bite marks all over it. The knob on the end table in the living room was gone, and one corner of the coffee table was on its way to disappearing. At that point Bella had purchased a spray that was supposed to taste bitter to dogs and dissuade them from chewing, and so far it was working, but I knew eventually Bear would get over his aversion and start wrecking the furniture again.

"A+ Dog Academy, how does that sound?" I asked him. Bear picked his head up at the sound of my voice and cocked it to one side, but his expression was blank. "Yeah, me neither, sounds too preppy."

I scrolled through a few more local listings, skipping ones that sounded pricy and others that weren't within driving distance. What was the point of 'local listings' when the results are always a one-hour drive away?

"Ok, how about Maggie's Dog Training School? It's only twenty minutes from here?" Again I got a blank look. "She trains all breeds, from six months old to one year. Well, you're not quite there yet, but this seems like a possibility." I shut my laptop and got up, Bear jumping up as well.

I took him out for one more walk and then shut him in his kennel for the rest of the morning since I had to leave. We had decided to get him a Kong toy and stuffed it with small treats or peanut butter before going out and leave it in the kennel with him so he would be entertained long enough to not notice we were gone.

Bella and I both finished with classes today at one. I only had one class. Lucky me. We came back to our apartment and had lunch and then usually did a little work, cleaned, and relaxed with Bear. That was a typical Tuesday for us. Over the summer when we had filed for a car loan, I had signed it in my name and my parents co-signed. It had taken a few weeks, but eventually we picked out a nice Honda Accord for Bella. She says she chose the car because my Volvo "scares" her. She just doesn't like how fast I drive.

So while Bella sat in her pharmacology lecture with Jasper who would be graduating with us in the spring, he had decided to drop from the 4+1 program, and graduate a year early instead so we would be starting medical school together, I would be in my intro to neurology lecture. Oh joy. I love being a pre-med major, but the more I get into these classes, and the deeper they go, the more confused I'm becoming. I still have no idea what I want my practice to be.

"So what did you find?" Bella asked me when we arrived back at the apartment a little after 1:30.

Bear jumped up in his kennel before I even made it over to him, wagging his tail and grinning from ear to ear as his tongue lolled out of his mouth.

"I found a couple training schools that looked good, but they recommend that the dog be at least six months old before any kind of training begins. That's when the brain is fully developed."

"Ok, sounds good. So should we call around and make comparisons or do you want to wait a bit?" She asked as she pulled some stuff from the fridge for lunch.

I got Bear on his leash and stopped at the door. "Let's wait, I mean we have two months before he's the right age. We don't need to rush into it now."

Bella nodded from her spot at the counter. I had no clue what she was making, but I assumed I would find out when I got back. Bear behaved himself on the walk and took care of all his business. When we got back I gave him a half bowl of food for his own lunch and went to help Bella.

"So what are you making?" I asked as I watched her pile ingredients into sandwiches and then place them on the Panini maker my mom had gotten us for my birthday. It wasn't exactly necessary, but she knew my love of sandwiches and figured it would be well used.

"Ham, cream cheese, spinach, and raisins. Sound good?"

"Sounds…interesting."

"Trust me, it's good, I've had it before on campus, but I'm sure with actual fresh ingredients it will be better."

While Bella finished the sandwiches I tossed some fries in the oven to warm up and did the dishes in the sink that had been sitting there since the night before. Bear dozed on the couch in the living room with us while we ate and watched some shows on the DVR that had been sitting there for a while.

Bella passed out once she had finished eating, her head in my lap, so I kept myself busy with some reading for another of my classes, and highlighted some notes. When she woke up she wandered off to the bedroom, I assumed to change, and came back out in her college sweats with her laptop and a notebook.

We settled down for an afternoon of catching up on work, the TV on low in the background for some noise. Bella took Bear out for his mid afternoon walk, hoping that maybe if she walked him a little more often, and fed him at mealtimes, maybe he would begin to bond with her a little more.

"That's all it takes is spending a little more time with him." I encouraged her later as she placed Bear's dinner down in front of him, which he happily began to inhale.

"Did you even taste that?" Bella asked him playfully as she set the table for dinner. He had finished eating before Bella had finished putting the plates out.

"I don't think he tastes anything. He just wolfs it down."

We were proactive that night about bringing Bear into the room with us. He immediately claimed one side of the bed and was no sooner asleep than he was snoring loudly beside Bella.

"Maybe we should just bring the kennel in here." She asked, trying to roll over.

"We tried that when we first brought him home, and all he did was whine and cry, and scratch at the bars until we let him out."

"Yeah…"

"Everything will work out."

"I know,"

"He does love you, Bella."

She didn't answer me. "Maybe it's just a male thing." I offered.

"Maybe he just loves you more."

"Bella, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm no being ridiculous, it just makes me insecure, you know. He loves you more than me, I just feel left out."

"Then skip class one morning and stay here and we'll all do something together."

I felt Bella giggle in my arms and she attempted to roll over again so she could be facing me, but she didn't have the room. Bear was spread eagle beside her, taking up more than half the bed now. We were squished together, not that I was complaining, with barely any room to move.

"I have a better idea. How about, while the weather is still nice, we take him to that new dog park. We can play together, just him and me for a bit, and then you and he can play together."

"That sounds good, now how about we try and get some sleep?"

"What's that smell?"

"What sme…oh God!" I covered my mouth with my hand. Bella and I both looked over at Bear.

"He has nasty puppy gas." Bella muttered through the sheet that was covering her mouth.

"That's just foul, Bear."

Bear moaned quietly in his sleep and rolled over, completely oblivious.

The following week we took Bear out to the dog park near campus. We brought some food for him since we decided to go around lunchtime, and made a little picnic under a tree. Bella took Bear a good fifty feet away and started to play with him.

He was particularly adept at the concept of 'fetch' and we hadn't even had to teach it to him. We would just toss a tennis ball or a knotted rope, and he would run, pick it up, and bring it back without us asking for it. It was quickly becoming a favorite games of ours, as was tugging.

I watched Bella as she tossed a tennis ball at Bear and he leapt up to catch it, getting some good air before he fell back to the ground on all fours, the tennis ball securely in his mouth. I hoped he bonded with Bella soon. I could tell how upset she was that Bear never really cuddled with her, or ran to her first when we came home. It was disheartening to me as well, because Bella had been first to fall in love with him, and to not have that love reciprocated, even on some degree had to be tough.

I had just finished setting up our small picnic as Bella and Bear cam running back over together. Both of them were grinning, and Bella was flush from the playtime fun. "Good time?" I asked as she sat down next to me. Bear dove into the small bowl of food we had brought for him.

"Yeah, I think if I just keep spending time with him like this he'll grow on me."

We didn't spend all afternoon at the park. My parents had invited us for dinner since we hadn't seen them in a long time. Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett would be there as well, and it was really more of a "wedding meeting" for Rose and Emmett and everyone else since they were getting married in January.

"Do you think they're rushing into it?" Bella asked on the way over later that evening.

"Yes, but that's Emmett, and I'm sure Rosalie wants to marry him sooner rather than later anyway."

"I'm sure her mother has something to do with that." Bella muttered.

"Yes, I'm sure, too."

Rosalie's mother was still notorious for causing as much grief in her daughter's life now as she had been two years before she and Emmett had gotten engaged.

"Does it bother you that she didn't ask you to be a bridesmaid?" I asked Bella as I pulled into my parents' driveway.

"No, and I wasn't planning on asking her either."

I chuckled. "If its any consolation, Rosalie had her bridal party picked out before she even met Emmett."

"I only have one person in mind, and that's my maid of honor."

"Who's that?"

"Who do you think?" Bella gave me an obvious look.

"Alice?" I asked.

"Alice," Bella confirmed.

"She'll love that."

Dinner went over well. The majority of the conversation was spent discussing Rose and Emmett's wedding. Questions were also thrown at Bella and I about our own plans, but we didn't have any yet so the answers were always short.

By the time my mother was passing around the pie she had made for dessert, Bella had had enough of Rose's gushing, and Emmett looked like he was ready to pass out. I was sure this was all he heard day in and day out, and it was all he was going to be hearing it nonstop for the next three and a half months. I actually felt sorry for him.

Alice was more than excited to keep the conversation going, however, especially since she was one of Rose's bridesmaid, and it had taken it upon herself to become the personal wedding planner. Although Rosalie had one of those already thanks to her parents' checkbook.

"So what do you think of these colors?" Alice was asking Bella. I got up and moved to sit in between Emmett and Jasper so the girls could all be together at the other end of the table.

I didn't hear Bella's answer, but I could tell from the look on her face that she didn't like the color combination Rosalie was thinking of using. I could only imagine how elaborate it must be.

"You look like you need a vacation." I told my older brother as I sat down.

"From all this wedding bullshit, that's all. I had no idea how complicated it was. I thought we would just get married."

Jasper and I both burst out laughing making everyone look up at us. Rosalie scowled. We lowered our heads back together and continued on in quieter voices.

"You're joking, right? This is Rosalie we're talking about."

Jasper leaned in and said quietly, "It's only complicated because she can't make up her mind, and she wants everything, but everything she wants doesn't necessarily work together, so then she has to go back and start all over again."

"How do you know?" Emmett asked, draining the last of his third bottle of beer tonight.

"Alice, she keeps me up to date. Every time Rose changes her mind about something, Alice files that detail away to eventually use when it comes time for us to plan a wedding."

"You haven't even asked her yet." I interjected.

"Doesn't mean I haven't thought about it, and it doesn't mean I don't have a ring."

"But you don't have a ring, or you would have shown it to us by now."

"I haven't gotten it, but I have been thinking about it. I don't want to give her a long engagement because then it will be months and months of planning and knowing Alice, she'll change her mind more than Rosalie."

"No she won't." I cut in, "Once Alice has her mind set on something, she sticks to it. Come on, you should know this. You two have been together forever."

"True,"

We sat there quietly for a bit, watching the girls at the other end of the table with my mom. My dad had retreated to the peace and quiet of his study to get some paperwork done for tomorrow. I needed to have a conversation with him. I wanted to get my focus straight on what I wanted to practice, and I needed his opinion.

"Hey," I touched Bella's shoulder lightly to get her attention. "I'm going to go talk with my dad for a little bit. You want to go when I come back?"

"Please, I can only take so much more of this."

I gave Bella a light kiss and headed off down the hall to my dad's study. I knocked first, knowing he was in the middle of work, and walked in.

"Hey, can I talk with you for a few minutes?" I asked as I sat down in front of his desk. "I have some questions."

"You don't have to ask, Edward, and you didn't have to knock. What's on your mind?" He leaned back in his leather chair, folding his hands.

"I know I have to start thinking about medical school, and which one I want to attend, although I have a pretty good idea where I want to study. I'm still lost on what I want my practice to be."

"Well, you know since I've told you in the past, that I didn't know my practice going into medical school either, it wasn't until I went through my first rotation that I decided what I wanted was to be a surgeon."

"But I would like to know, so I can focus some of my classes on learning this that will be beneficial to me, and not on things I'm not likely to use."

"Everything you learn will be beneficial in some way, Edward." He smiled at me knowingly and I knew he was right. "Let me ask you this, is there anything in particular you are interested in?"

I shook my head, dropping my eyes to the floor. "No, not really. I know that I want to be able to work in a position that allows me to be home with Bella and a family. Not something that's going to keep me at a hospital for all hours."

"Well, realistically you know you won't find a position like that right out of medical school, it may be a few years, and you shouldn't let that hamper any plans you and Bella may have at that time in your lives. I'm sure you know once you get into your rotations and residency you will not be home that much."

I nodded slowly, already feelings the depression settling in. "I know, and I'm not looking forward to that, but Bella understands, and she's going to be in graduate school."

"So you're both going to be occupied."

Silence passed between us for a minute while I sat mulling over all of the different medical practices out there and what was practical for me, weighing that against others I had considered, but had not looked in to too deeply.

"What about pediatrics?" my father asked suddenly, sitting up in his chair. He eyed my intently. "Don't take this the wrong way, Edward, it is by no means an insult, I don't see you as a surgeon."

I actually laughed out loud. I felt a huge smile break my face as I continued to shake in my seat. "Well, that's good news, because I can't see my self as a surgeon either. I don't think I'm cut out for it."

"I could see you working in the pediatric unit at the hospital. The hours are reasonable, there are some overnights, but its mostly monitoring. You would need to do several courses in child development and care, and also some surgery. But it wouldn't be too demanding."

I sat there for a minute thinking it over. A doctor in pediatrics? Me? Kids? I had never considered that option. It had never crossed my mind.

"Uh…ok, I'll think about that." I said as I started to get up. "Thanks, dad, for listening to me."

"Consider it, Edward, and you're welcome. That's why I'm here."

I nodded and turned to walk out. "Edward?"

I turned back around to face my dad. "I'll always be proud no matter what you choose. Even if you decided to use your medical training for something other than being a doctor, I will always be proud of you."

"Thanks, dad. Have a good night."

I left the door cracked as I walked out, my steps feeling a little lighter. I had some research to do this week now. As I turned the thought over and over in my head during the drive home, pediatrics was sounding like the path I wanted to take.

"I think you should do it." Bella encouraged me a little while later as we were getting ready for bed. Bear was already passed out on his dog bed on my side, but I knew as soon as we got in bed he would jump and snuggle with us. "I think it would suit you. I could see you with kids."

"I could see _you_ with kids."

"Don't go there, not yet." Bella warned me with a small smile. I just laughed and got in bed. Bella got in and snuggled up to me, and just as I had predicted, Bear jumped up claiming the empty space, curled up and immediately fell back asleep.

"You really think so?" I asked Bella after I turned the light off.

She yawned and snuggled a little closer to me. "I really think so, Edward."

"Pediatrics it is then."

I felt Bella smile against my chest, and the light kiss she placed there. "Good, now that we have that settled lets get some sleep."

I laughed quietly, but wrapped my arms around her drawing her as close as possible, slipping into a comfortable sleep.


	3. Birthday Date Night

**Chapter 3, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

"Do you really think this is a good idea?"

I was posing the question to Edward as I finished getting dressed. He was standing at the sink in the bathroom, still in his towel, brushing his teeth.

"Stop worrying about it." He chastised me through a mouth full of toothpaste. "He's only going to be with them for a few hours. I doubt he'll cause a lot of trouble."

"I don't know…"

I slipped my other shoe on, sitting at the end of the bed thinking over our plan for the evening. Edward was taking me out for my birthday tonight, a few days late, but we had been so busy lately tonight was the first opportunity we had had. We decided to leave Bear with Alice and Jasper since we had no idea how long we were going to be out for, and we wanted to make sure he got his dinner and was looked after for the evening.

Jasper and Alice had, of course, agreed to take him since they lived so close and Alice was just in love with out little puppy. She spoiled him as if he were a nephew. At least I could be assured that he would be in good hands, if nothing else.

"Stop worrying about him, you just don't want to be away from him for a night, do you? You're like a new mother suffering from separation anxiety."

"Is that your medical opinion?" I teased him with a small smile.

"As a matter of fact, it is." He kissed me on my forehead and told me once more to not worry about Bear. "Go sit with him for a few minutes, I'll be right out and we can go."

I went out into the living room to sit on the couch, but Bear had decided to occupy the entire thing, sprawled out, fast asleep. I sat in one the lounge chairs watching him. I had been thinking over the decisions we had made concerning his training. We were definitely going to go through with that.

But the decision of whether or not to put him through surgery was still a topic of discussion between Edward and I, even though only a couple weeks ago we had decided 'no' together, I knew the potential problems that could arise if we didn't have Bear neutered.

I knew Edward was firmly against 'unmanning' our puppy, but I had told him of some of the potential issues and he had agreed that if they could be avoided, we should try and avoid them. Accidents in the house was low on the list, but certain behavioral problems, and the thought that he could find some female dog in the vicinity leading to a litter of puppies we didn't need, was certainly something to consider.

"Hey you, lost in thought over there."

I snapped out of my mindless inner ramblings when I heard Edward's voice from the kitchen. I blinked a few times and shook my head to clear the cobwebs that had settled in the last few minutes.

"Sorry, thinking."

"About Bear?"

"Yes, but not worrying. Just thinking about other things." I got up slipping my shoes back on and grabbed my clutch. "Ready to go?"

"Are _you_?"

"Yes, of course I am."

"Are you _sure_?"

I stood for a moment, thinking, and then I dashed back to the bedroom to grab my cell phone. I hated it when he did that, and he knew I wasn't all put together yet. "Yes, now I'm sure."

We dropped Bear off with Alice and Jasper and then headed into town to the restaurant Edward had reservations at. It was small, quaint, and not overly affluent. I was glad when we walked in that I had chosen a simple dress for tonight, formal but not exceedingly so. Edward had decided on dress pants, an un-tucked shirt and no tie.

Ever the gentleman, he offered me his hand as I got out of the car, bowing his head into my neck to kiss me there, lingering momentarily. "Is that the perfume I got you?" He asked.

"Maybe,"

"It smells good on you." He whispered to me, his voice guttural.

"Don't start, you won't make it thought the appetizer."

Edward just sighed as he continued to hold me, gently inhaling every few seconds. It was a tender moment that I never wanted to end. We didn't have moments like these as often as we wanted, and so we let it linger as long as we could before it became necessity to head into the restaurant.

We were seated in a two-person booth, sitting next to each other instead of across. I made a point of brushing my thigh against Edward's at every opportunity that I got, knowing how much it was going to frustrate him throughout the evening. We got a bottle of wine to share and decided on a light appetizer since most of the dinner course options looked to be heavy.

"Let me just ask this now and get it out of the way so we can focus on a nice night together." I sipped my wine a couple times before setting it down. Edward smirked at me, like he knew what I was going to ask, and I was pretty sure he did. "What time do you want to pick up Bear?"

"Whatever time I'm done with you." He waggled his eyebrows at me making my cheeks flush as I thought of the implication of his confident statement.

"Ok, sounds good." I reached over placing my hand on his thigh, where I left it for some time, slowly sliding it higher throughout our appetizer.

Edward threw me dirty looks continuously until dinner arrived. He knew I was winding him up, and I knew it was going to come back to bite me. Or maybe he would be the one to bite me. I wouldn't object. Oh dear Lord…the wine is having an effect.

After dinner we decided to get dessert elsewhere, since nothing on the menu looked appealing and it was also expensive, and also because I was having a wicked craving for ice cream. Edward found a small place a little ways away from our apartment, and we sat inside to eat. I was happy that we had found somewhere still open from the summer.

"Do you think we can get away with not picking up Bear for a couple more hours?" Edward asked, stuffing a spoonful of his mint chip ice cream in his mouth

Knowing what he was getting at, I licked slowly at my mocha ice cream, keeping my eyes locked with his. He groaned quietly and I watched him shift in his seat slightly. Pleased with myself, I took a small bite of my ice cream and grinned at him.

"I think we can get away with that. I don't think Alice will mind looking after him for a little while longer. She's basically an aunt."

"She'll be a real aunt in enough time." Edward muttered quietly, making me stare at him.

"Is Rosalie pregnant?" I whispered harshly.

"No, but knowing how she and Emmett like to hump like rabbits, I don't think it will take long."

"Oh," I was actually nervous for a moment, thinking back to the last time Rosalie had had a scare a couple years ago. But now that she and Emmett were engaged, I don't think the idea of a baby would scare her quite so much. Unless her mother begins nagging her for grandchildren the moment Rosalie says 'I do'.

"Did I scare you for a second there?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, you said it sort of sarcastically, so I thought…never mind."

"I get it. Don't worry." He flashed me a small, knowing grin as he finished his ice cream and tossed his cup in the trash. "So, do you want to head back now, or would you like to go for a walk?"

"A walk sounds nice."

We drove a short distance to a small park. It was starting to get dark out so the overhead lamps along the paths were on. I grabbed my shawl from the back seat and tossed it across my shoulders to protect from the light breeze. As we walked along slowly, hands linked between us, we talked about Edward's decision to focus on pediatrics and what I was going to focus on for my graduate degree. I was turning in my application in a couple months. I still needed to iron out the kinks in my entry essay.

It was still early in the night by the time we made it back to the apartment. Since we had already decided to not pick up Bear for a bit, we opened a bottle of wine and laid down on the couch together. It didn't take long from there for half the bottle to be gone, nor for our clothes to decorate the living room floor.

I wasn't entirely opposed to sex on the couch, but there really wasn't a lot of room to move around. And right now I wanted more than just cuddling. "Can we move this to our room?" I whispered as Edward kissed his way down my neck.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." He smiled at me and got up, a little unsteady from the wine, but still managed to sweep me up into his arms and carried me off to our room.

We fumbled around for a bit on the bed, the darkness not helping much in our slightly inebriated state. I heard the nightstand drawer open and shut and the telltale rip of a package. Edward mumbled above me for a moment, swearing as I felt him wiggling around between my thighs as he attempted to sheath himself.

It made me giggle followed by a hiccup. Edward chuckled above me, barely able to hold himself up. He fitted his hips against him, cradled between my legs and lined himself up. It was not the most coordinated sex we'd ever had, but it was all over explosive, toe curling and good. Tipsy from the wine and probably tired as well, Edward laid down on top of me, burying his face in my neck as he thrust against me, his hips meeting mine with each movement.

I kept my legs locked tight around his waist to hold him fast, to keep him inside me as long as possible. Tonight was long overdue between us, and so welcome. I didn't care that we were making the most insane noises together. I didn't care that our rhythm kept faltering. It was just the two of us, moving together as one entity.

Edward cried out when he came, his voice muffled by the pillow. I followed him about a minute later into oblivion, waves of heat and pleasure rushing through me over and over until I went numb.

When I finally became aware again of where I was, Edward was lying next to me on his side, facing me with a huge grin on his face. He was stroking my side slowly. I sighed and inched closer to him, his hand wrapping around my back so that I was engulfed in his embrace.

"You sleep like the dead after a good orgasm."

"I wonder why,"

"Yes, I'm sure you do."

I snuggled my head under his chin, comfortable in the silence surrounding us. I was more than willing to lie here forever, never moving. Just as I was about to allow my body to succumb to exhaustion I sat up straight in bed, looking around. I knew it had been too quiet.

"Where's Bear?"

"What do you mean? He's with Alice and Jasper." Edward answered me calmly, sitting up as well.

"We never picked him up." I was about two seconds away from jumping out bed and throwing clothes when I noticed the time on the clock. It was after one a.m. already.

"Chill, Alice texted me earlier saying she and Jasper will watch him till morning."

"Really? They're ok with that?"

Edward drew me back down on the bed so I was lying on my back and he was on his side next to me. "Yes, they're fine. Don't worry. You really are like an over anxious mother." He teased me, stroking my hair.

"So…where does that leave us?"

Edward moved so he was now hovering above me. "I can think of a few things." He leaned down pressing his lips against mine, my knees parting naturally to allow him entrance.

We finally passed out some time in the very early morning, completely sated and satisfied. I woke up for the second time to soft gray light filtering through the crack in the curtains. I stretched my arms over my head, yawning, and sat up. Edward was completely passed out beside me, lying on his side facing me.

I reached out to stroke his hair and ran a finger down the side of his face feeling the light stubble that was already growing even though he shaved just the night before. I loved how peaceful he was in sleep. It brought me peace.

There really wasn't much of an option for me to dress in since laundry had not been done in over a week and a half, so I grabbed my last clean pair of hipsters, a cami and tossed on Edward's dress shirt over the ensemble. I was thankful today was a Saturday. It meant we didn't have to run around between classes, we could just relax with each other and be.

I stopped to press a kiss to Edward's forehead on my way out whispering, "I love you," He moaned quietly and shifted, but did not wake.

After about ten minutes of meandering around the kitchen I finally decided on making banana bread for the two of us to share. So I set a pot of coffee to brew and got to work on the batter while the oven pre-heated. I was just sliding the pans into the oven when my iPhone buzzed on the kitchen table.

"Good morning," I greeted Alice with a sleepy yawn.

"Good morning, sunshine. I guess you're up, huh?"

"Yeah, I'm up. Edward is still passed out, though. I guess you're calling about Bear?" I asked, sitting down at the table.

"Yup, is it ok if I'm bring him over now?"

"Now is fine, I just put breakfast in the oven, want to stay and chat for a while? We need to have a girlie talk."

"Oh definitely," Alice agreed happily. "I'll be there in a little bit."

We said goodbye and hung up. So I had about twenty minutes to get dressed in some real clothes. 'A little bit' to most people meant about a half hour to forty minutes, 'a little bit' to Alice meant two things depending on the situation, in this case it meant she was going to be here sooner rather than later. In terms of anything else, it meant she was lying about going over the top.

Bear was beyond ecstatic to be home when Alice showed up with him fifteen minutes later. She was impeccably dressed for a college student with nothing better to do on a Saturday. I had thrown on my last clean pair of leggings, kept the cami and tossed on one of Edward's sweatshirts.

"Bear, shush. Daddy is still sleeping." I hissed at him as he whined loudly for his breakfast. But as soon as I mentioned Edward, his head cocked to the side and he began looking around for him.

"See," I stated indicating the dog to Alice, "I merely mention him and Bear is beside himself. He clearly loves him more."

"If that's you're only evidence its pretty weak. He has a stronger bond with Edward, but I don't think he loves you any less."

I looked at her bewildered, wondering where her understanding of the animal psyche had come from. Seeing my expression of confusion, Alice merely shrugged, "Jasper," she stated in an explanatory tone.

We headed into the kitchen to sit and talk while Bear inhaled his breakfast. He finished in a couple minutes, only to begin pawing at the bedroom door and whining. Apparently he had found where daddy was hiding.

"Bear," Alice and I called together. Bear didn't come, but laid down in front of the door, curled up and waited for Edward.

"He really is so sweet. Not a single problem last night." Alice sipped her coffee as she went over her night with our puppy.

"That's hard to believe. He's nothing but trouble here."

"You only say that because of your belief in Bear's assumed bias attitude toward you."

I rolled my eyes over the brim of my coffee cup. "Whatever,"

Bear's head popped up suddenly as I heard movement in the bedroom. Edward as grumbling about noise and the fact that he had no clothes. But as soon as the door opened and he walked out in his sweat pants and a t-shirt, he saw the coffee and shut up.

Bear was all over him from the moment he stepped out of the bedroom to the moment he sat at the table, after giving me a kiss first on the lips and his sister one on the cheek. We were more important than saying 'good morning' to the puppy. I may have felt a little smug about that.

"Ok, ok," Edward finally bent over to pet Bear so he would stop going crazy. "Maybe we do need to get him cut. He's so rambunctious."

"Did you really just say that?" Alice asked. "Weren't you all gung ho about _not_ getting his balls chopped off?"

"Why are we having this conversation in the first place?" I interrupted before the exchange between sister and brother turned awkward.

"Change of subject," Edward offered and I nodded vehemently. "What smells so good?"

"Oh, the bread!" I exclaimed getting up and rushing over to the oven to retrieve breakfast. "I forgot all about it. I made banana bread."

I watched Edward eye up the bread as I moved it from the oven and onto the cooling rack. I took the butter and cream cheese from the fridge to soften a little before cutting the bread since it needed to cool for a few minutes first.

"So what are you two planning today? More lounging from the looks of your clothing choice." Alice smirked at us as she leaned back in her chair and sipped the last of her coffee. She always loved to tease everyone about their, as she saw it, lack of style.

"Well, we can't all be a fashionista like Rosalie and you, Alice, dear." I deadpanned as I grabbed her cup and Edward's and went to refill them.

"Bella's been lazy with the laundry." I heard my fiancé whisper behind me. I smacked him upside the head and went back to the coffee.

"Excuse me, _darling_, but whose chore is the laundry?"

"Mine," Edward muttered, taking a deep drink of his fresh go-juice. "I'll make sure it gets done today, relax."

"Why don't you throw a load in now and get it started while I finish breakfast?"

"Pain in my ass." Edward muttered as he got up and disappeared into the bedroom.

"You've certainly got him on a leash." Alice observed while I sliced the bread and arranged it on a platter.

"No, he just knows that he's got the lighter load this semester and he knows damn well that means he's got to help out around here now that we have a puppy. He's your brother, you've lived with him longer than I have, you should know how lazy his ass is."

"Yeah, I do."

Edward reappeared from the bedroom with a full hamper. "Stop talking about me like I don't exist."

"Oh, sorry, forgot." I snickered. "I love you,"

"No you don't."

Alice just sat at the table laughing quietly as Edward and I continued to bicker back and forth until he sat down to eat, and even then we didn't stop. It was just a mark of how much we truly loved each other.

And that was why I was marrying him…eventually.

We have a few more years of craziness to get through first. One day at a time…


	4. Of Dog Days and Wedding Talk

**Chapter 4, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

I leaned forward in the plastic chair, covering my face with my hands. At my feet Bear was lying curled up, his head resting on his paws. He glanced up at me with his large, glassy eyes. Like he knew exactly where he was, and why he was here.

"I can't go through with this." I groaned into my hands.

"We've decided to do this, Edward. We're here, it's getting done."

"But look at him, Bella," I half whined. I gestured to Bear at our feet, the same sad expression still on his face. "He knows. He knows what's going to happen to him."

"And you're willing to let him continue to behave the way he has been? You saw how he reacted to Emmett. What if he bites next time?"

"Then we train him. Do we have to…?"

Bella gave me a gentle shove. "Come on, Edward. Don't be such a baby."

"Easy for you to say, you're a woman. You don't have balls to lose."

"Excuse me, women have got balls, they're just a little higher up, that's all."

I looked up at her in shock. Did she really just reference her boobs? "Did you just come up with that on your own?"

"Nope. Oh, stop looking like that. We drop him off today and we can pick him up tomorrow evening."

"Bear,"

Bella and I both looked up when his name was called by the technician. Bear's head popped up as well and his tongue lolled out of his mouth. Bella and I got up to follow her down the hall, the leash in my hand.

"Aren't you just the sweetest, little puppy? Look at you!" Our technician cooed at Bear. She gestured down the hallway for us to walk. "Third door on the left."

She shut the door behind us, and picked Bear up to place him on the metal table in the middle of the small room. "Dr. Weber should be in, in just a few minutes. But for now we're going to do a quick examination." She listened to Bear's heart, took his temperature and poked and prodded him a bit.

"So you two are dropping Bear off for surgery, correct?" Dr. Weber asked as she walked in to the exam room through a back door.

"Yes," Bella answered soundly. "Although not all of us are enthusiastic about it." She glanced at me.

"No worries," Dr. Weber offered me an encouraging smile. "Neutering affects all male dogs differently. Some retain their rambunctious behavior, others gain some weight. It's a quick surgery and afterward we'll keep him overnight for observation. You should be able to pick him up tomorrow after 1 PM. Have you fed him today?"

"No," Bella and I answered together."

"Good, so he more than likely will not be sick from the anesthesia. So right now I want to take a blood sample and that'll be it."

I took a seat on the one chair in the room while Bella stayed with Bear as his blood was drawn. She gave him a kiss and a hug then moved so I could say goodbye for now.

"I'm so sorry about this, buddy. I promise when you get home you can step on my balls in defiance as much as you want." I whispered to him.

Bella having obviously hear me, chuckled quietly. She grabbed my hand as we walked out after paying for the operation and Bear's overnight stay.

"So if you're going to let him walk all over your baby maker, don't you think that's going to have an effect on future goals for us?"

"I wasn't intending on letting him trample me all the time."

"I hope not, because I don't think your mother would forgive us if we never gave her grandchildren."

We both laughed as we got in the car, my mood lifting only minutely, but as soon as we got home and there was no Bear there to greet us, my mood effectively sank once more.

We picked Bear up the following evening. He was still a bit groggy from the pain medication, but he was overall jovial, his tongue lolling out of his mouth happily when he saw us.

Dr. Weber stood at the counter going over post-surgery care with us. I had glanced at Bear from behind when he came out. It was weird, to say the least. But I knew it was not only for his good that we had gotten this done, but it was overall good practice.

"You ok?" Bella asked me as we walked out to her car, Bear in my arms since he had been wobbling a bit just before we left.

"Yeah, I'll get used to it. I just feel like I've betrayed him in some way."

"I'm sure he'll forgive you." Bella leaned up and kissed me sweetly, her hand squeezing around my waist. "You're a good daddy."

I grinned slightly. "Thanks, that helps."

"How about you relax with Bear when we get back and I'll cook tonight?"

I agreed, wanting to spend some time with Bear anyway. I felt I owed it to him so he wouldn't be alone as he discovered what had happened to him once his drug-induced haze began to lift.

For most of the afternoon I didn't have much to do except sit next to him and watch TV while he slept, curled up in a ball snoring loudly. Bella sang quietly to the music she was playing in the kitchen as she cooked. Whatever it was, it smelled insanely good and I found myself looking forward to dinner the closer the clock ticked to 6 pm.

Eventually I got up after finishing my fourth episode in a row of Dr. Who and wandered into the kitchen to discover the source of the delicious fragrances wafting into the living room.

"How's Bear?" Bella asked from her spot at the stove.

"Still sleeping, we can give him some food soon."

Bella nodded and stirred a wooden spoon around the stew pot she had out. "So what are you making?"

"Stew, I hope chicken is ok, it's what I had defrosted."

"I don't care what you cook, everything is delicious. It smells insane, what else is in there?"

"Carrots, potatoes, celery, a lot of spices, which is probably what you smell. Do you want to set the table?"

I grabbed plates, bowls, and cutlery from the cabinet and arranged them on the table for two. I then went back out to check on Bear and woke him up so I could feed him dinner. I gave him a little dry food mixed with water to help soften it, burying his antibiotic at the bottom so he wouldn't pick it out and not take it.

He ate slowly, still a little groggy, then trotted back out to the living room and curled up on his bed falling asleep quickly.

"Do you think he's ok?"

"It's just the pain medication. He'll be fine. The sheet that Dr. Weber gave us outlined everything and what we should look for. Oh, can you grab the bread from the oven for me, please?" Bella asked as the timer went off.

Just as I was sitting down placing our two glasses of tea on the table, Bella came over with the stew pot and served out two bowls. We ate and talked quietly, mostly about Bear, but we also began discussing his options for training, which he would be starting in a few weeks since his six-month mark was coming up quickly.

We also talked about Halloween and the dog walk at the college. We were intending on going this year, but we also wanted to enter Bear in the costume contest, we just needed something decent.

"What about just a basic t-shirt?" I asked, taking a second helping of the delicious stew Bella had made.

"I kind of want to dress him in an actual costume. Not something ridiculous, but something funny at least."

"Should we ask Alice?"

Bella just laughed as she took a spoonful of stew, but shook her head and quickly ate the bite before she spilled it on her lap. "I saw some funny dog costumes at Target the other day when I went grocery shopping. We can go back and look at them, but there's also always online. What can you see him in?"

"Uh…" I looked over my shoulder at Bear, snoozing in his bed. I hoped that he would retain some of his playfulness, although not so much the unpredictable behavior he had exhibited. "How about jail stripes?"

Bella chuckled as she spooned some stew in to her mouth. "That's actually really appropriate. He is a bad dog."

Bear picked his head up when he heard us both laugh, jumping up and trotting over to the table. He had a wide smile on his face like nothing was wrong. I reached down and pet his head, making sure to scratch behind his ears. He almost reached the height of the table now, it wouldn't be long until he could jump up and put his front paws and head right on the edge.

Not that we were going to allow him to.

"How are you feeling, buddy?"

Bear continued to smile at me, enjoying the attention I was giving him. Bella made a kissing sound and Bear rushed over to her to accept the small piece of chicken she held down to him. He accepted it happily, barely tasting it as it went down. He laid down with his head on his paws, which was how he remained for the rest of the meal.

I didn't know if I liked him this subdued, but it was nice to be able to relax and eat a quiet meal with my fiancé without having to split my attention between her and tossing a toy to Bear.

Bear slept peacefully on his bed that night while Bella and I took full advantage of all the space we now had in our own. We finally fell asleep some time after midnight only because we both needed to be up in the morning.

The whole family was getting together for breakfast, and also so we could talk about Rosalie's and Emmett's wedding, getting some of the final, more important details ironed out.

It wasn't my idea for the perfect Sunday morning, but I was willing. And Bella may have had a little influence with the wake up call I received in the morning. I intended to return her favor in kind, as soon as we made it out of bed.

"I'm still considering going AWOL on this breakfast meeting." I told Bella as she parked her car outside the restaurant. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it gently.

"Don't make me have to listen to Rosalie talk about bridesmaids' outfits and ask for my opinion when I'm not in the bridal party. It's like she's trying to intentionally spit in my face."

"She's just being herself, a bitch."

"Edward, come on, give her a little credit, she's not as bad as she used to be."

I had to agree with her. "Ok, she's not, but ever since she and Emmett set a date and started going with all of this, she's become unbearable again."

"Well, she's exactly where she wants to be, the center of attention. Everything is about her right now."

I leaned over to Bella as we walked through the door, my hand slipping to the small of her back in a tender gesture. "And next it will be your turn, but you won't be such a bridezilla. I hope."

Bella laughed lightly and leaned up to kiss my cheek. I heard Alice 'awww' sarcastically from the table. The hostess seemed to realize we were part of the large party in the corner and led Bella and I over.

"You two are so sweet." Alice continued to tease as we sat down next to each other. "Just absolute sunshine and roses. You look very pretty." She complimented Bella's choice of outfit for the morning.

The two immediately sprung into a conversation about fall fashion, and I was surprised that Bella was so enthusiastic, but I only understood every other word. Jasper and I fell into a subdued conversation about graduation and how it was going to come up so quick in the spring. I was already filling out my medical school applications.

After Emmett and Rosalie arrived a few minutes later we all ordered breakfast and the conversation switched to wedding talk. As Bella had predicted, Rosalie began asking her opinion on the bridesmaids dresses, one of which Bella would not be wearing.

"I like the style, Rose, but I don't think the color goes well with the aesthetics you picked out. And I don't think it will go well with Alice's skin tone."

I noticed that Alice looked very pleased with Bella's assessment. It was obvious she wasn't too thrilled with the color Rosalie had chosen either.

"Well, I don't think you need to worry too much about the skin tone issue." Rosalie remarked snidely. It was a sly way to be rude about the fact that she had not asked Bella to be a bridesmaid, but it was still uncalled for.

"Well, Alice does." Bella responded, her tone a bit sharp.

"Alice, do you think the color is horrible?" Rosalie asked, passing her wedding folder across the table.

Alice took the folder from Rosalie, flipping through the designs she had for her bridesmaids. Being a fashion major, Rosalie I assumed, had put a great deal of thought into what her attendants would be wearing. But if the color was going to clash horribly with your chosen ladies, shouldn't you consider another option? But I'm just a guy, what do I know?

"The cut and form of the dresses is very flattering, but I think Bella is right about the color. It's just not a winter color, and it doesn't go with the rest of the aesthetics."

I watched a satisfied smile creep onto Bella's face and she lowered her head so Rosalie wouldn't see it.

"So what color would you recommend, Alice?" Rosalie asked seriously, taking the folder and back and producing a pen to write ideas down.

Alice and Rose launched off into a discussion about the dresses, my mother moving her chair so she could offer her opinion as well.

Bella scooted back closer to me, leaning in to my side as I slung my arm across the back of her chair. Our waiter came over with our orders while Alice, Rose and my mother were still talking. Bella got a plate of French toast with fruit and I got eggs and toast.

"So how do you feel about Rose intentionally keeping you out of the wedding talk just because you're not part of her "court"?" Emmett asked from across the table, cutting up his waffles and taking a huge bite.

"I really don't care." Bella answered honestly. "She probably just doesn't want too many opinions driving her crazy." She took a small bite of her French toast. "I intend to include her when it's my turn. And I'll take sincerely all of her suggestions. If she even wants me to offer them." Bella shrugged and took another bite.

"You're just too kind-hearted." Emmett smiled and shook his head, then looked up from our conversation when Rosalie touched his arm to get his attention.

"I don't think Rose is reverting back to her old attitude, I think she's just stressed because she wants everything to be perfect." Bella offered a minute later.

"You're probably right, most likely." I agreed, attempting to talk with my mouth full. I got a disapproving glare from my mother from down the table and swallowed my food before continuing. "I'm sure come the actual day of the wedding, Rosalie will be charming and polite."

Jasper snorted from his seat across from us. Bella snickered and coughed to hide her laugh. "You haven't lived with her." Jasper whispered. "She adjusts to the situation around her, but she doesn't change. I feel really bad for Emmett, he's not going to win any arguments. Although I'm sure he already knows this by now."

"All too well," Emmett added, inserting himself back into the conversation.

The four of us shared a quiet laugh, making my father look up at us from the newspaper he was reading and shake his head with a small smile on his face. After breakfast Bella and I bid farewell to my family until the next time we all got together, which would be in a couple weeks. We headed home to relax, but we had our own work to get done. I had an application to finish and Bella needed to outline a term paper.

"How's my buddy?" I asked Bear as we walked in. He had hopped up from his bed to greet us, surprisingly jumping up to place his front paws on Bella's waist and try to get close enough to give her a kiss.

"Hi, you!" Bella greeted him with a huge smile, getting down on her knees so Bear could lick her face. His tail wagged furiously as he greeted her, genuinely happy to see her. The joy of the moment was more than evident on Bella's face. She was grinning hugely at the attention Bear was giving her.

Later after dinner, we laid curled up together on the couch, an open bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table in front of us. We were catching up on some shows on the DVR, Bear cuddled at Bella's feet sleeping peacefully. Bella seemed quite content in the position Bear had assumed, petting him gently with her foot as he slept.

"About time he warmed up to you." I commented as I fast-forwarded through some commercials.

"I think it has more to do with him not being so over excitable anymore. That, or he realizes that he and I now have more in common."

I felt my brows draw together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Neither one of us has balls."

I nearly spit out the sip of wine I was in the middle of drinking. Bella laughed soundly from her position against me, her backside non-intentionally, or perhaps maybe intentionally, rubbing against the front of my jeans.

"I think your second idea is the correct one." I set my glass down carefully then glanced down at Bear where he was sleeping. "You think we can get up without waking him?"

"Do we have to get up? I'm too tired to move." Bella yawned and snuggled closer to me as much as she could.

"Unfortunately we do, tomorrow is Monday."

"Fuck Mondays, I hate Mondays." Bella mumbled, her voice already growing thick. If she fell asleep it was going to be doubly difficult to get off the couch, considering I was trapped between Bella and the couch.

"I hate Mondays, too, but we need to get up before it becomes impossible to."

Bella groaned and mumbled a few chosen curses that dockside sailors in London would be proud of. I steered her toward the bedroom, collecting the wine and glasses as we went. Bella stumbled into the bed still clothed, and so it became my duty to undress her, not that I minded, and get her clothed in something more comfortable to sleep in.

"Thank you for taking care of me." She mumbled as she curled into my side a few minutes later. I reached over and turned the bedside lamp off.

"Well, you take care of me all the time."

"It's our responsibility, I suppose." Bella raised her eyes to glance at me. "Being engaged and all."

"If you say so," I teased.

Bella pouted and tried to scoot away from me, but I held her fast dissuading any movement. "Well, if you feel that way about it," she started, but I silenced her with a kiss, reaching down to pull the blanket over us.


	5. One Cop, One Jailbird, and One Bad Dog

**Chapter 5, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

"You don't think that dress is a little short to be wearing around eight-year-olds?" Edward asked me from where he stood in the bedroom pulling on his costume.

I looked away from my reflection in the bathroom mirror to glance down at the dress I had chosen this year as my costume. It came to my knees, and it clung to every curve I possessed, although not tightly. I didn't think it was that inappropriate.

"What's wrong with it?" I asked, running my brush through my hair one last time.

"You don't think you're setting a bad example?"

"No, you should see what your sister picked out to wear before Jasper told her to change it."

"I don't even want to think about it." Edward's reflection shrugged and actually shuddered.

Jasper had agreed to take his three young cousins, Maria, Nettie and Lucy, trick-or-treating tonight. Rosalie had been asked first by her mother, under the assertion that it would be good practice for her, and had effectively refused.

Alice had been thrilled when Jasper promised to take his cousins for the night, and she had immediately gone out to find three matching costumes she knew the triplet girls would love.

Last week she had asked Edward and I if we would like to tag along for fun. And of course she had recommended we bring Bear, although I was certain that request had been more for her than for the entertainment of her boyfriend's little cousins.

So I had gone out to try and find three costumes for Edward, Bear and I. It being one week before Halloween, there was not much to choose from, but I found a couples' set and a dog costume that all went together. And so Edward now sat on the end of the bed pulling on his black sneakers dressed in his black and white jail stripes. My own costume was a typical sexy cop outfit, but I had looked for a dress that was a bit longer than what I call "slut-length", because of the girls.

I finished up in the bathroom and put everything away then turned and faced the open doorway. "What do you think?"

Edward visibly swallowed. "Do you want the PG or R-rated answer?" He shifted noticeably, giving me a silent response with just that movement. "What happened to the shy, unassuming girl I knew freshman year? I think you even once told me you wouldn't be caught dead wearing something like that."

"Well, friendship with your sister can do that to a person." I sashayed out of the bathroom toward him and sat in his lap, my arms looped loosely around his neck. "She helped me discover a confidence in myself I didn't think I had. And sleeping beside you each night…well…that helps too."

"What has gotten in to you tonight?" Edward asked with an amused smile on his face. His hand rubbed up and down my side slowly.

"Nothing right now," I leaned in close to him, my mouth right at his ear. "But perhaps you would like to later." I whispered and shifted meaningfully in his lap. Edward groaned as I began nibbling on his neck, pushing his hips up against mine. He panted heavily, his breath fanning across my neck, stirring my hair.

He grasped my hips in both hands bringing me back with him as he fell against the bed. I hovered above him, straddling his body, pinning his hands beside his head. I knew I had surprised him with my advance, I don't often assert myself this way, but right now I couldn't help it. I was going to be ruled by my hormones for the next five days or so. Not my favorite time of the month.

We lay there for some time, winding our bodies around each other, exchanging deep kisses. Edward held my waist firmly, sometimes rubbing up and down my back. I buried my hands in his hair mussing it until it was sticking up in all directions.

Edward started to shift underneath me, trying to find some friction. His more than evident erection was pressed firmly against my belly, barely constrained by his loose costume. I undid a couple of the buttons on the front of his shirt and loosened the front of his pants just enough so I could snake my hand past the waistline to grasp him.

Edward moaned loudly in response to my touch, sucking on my neck. Despite the lust that was clouding my mind I knew we had to stop here. We couldn't show up to take eight-year-old girls trick-or-treating with love marks on our necks.

To further clear the clouds, Edward's phone started vibrating on his nightstand. It had to be Alice, no one else had perfect timing when it came to interrupting us. With a groan in protest, Edward and I disentangled from each other so he could answer it.

"Hey, sis. No, I'm fine, ran out of the bathroom to answer the phone. No, I wasn't in the shower. Ok, we'll be over in a little bit." He hung up and tossed the phone onto his pillow. "Now, where were we?" He asked reaching for me, drawing me down to the bed once more.

"You're not going to act inappropriately tonight, are you?" I asked seriously.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

I sighed heavily, not believing him one bit, as I extricated myself from his hold and grabbed Bear's costume to dress him in it. Edward attempted to pat his hair down into a more controlled state while I forced Bear's thin legs into the slightly baggy sleeves of the puppy-sized jumpsuit.

Ten minutes later we arrived at Alice and Jasper's apartment, Bear on his leash, and my own hair combed out from the mess Edward caused in his passionate, lustful state of mind.

"Oh my God, you guys look great!" Alice shrieked when she opened the door. "And you are so adorable." She knelt down in her long black dress to pet Bear, who happily wagged his tail, his entire back end shaking with the movement.

"What are you?" Edward asked as we walked into the apartment.

"The Wicked Witch." Alice spun slowly so we could see the whole costume, cape and all. "Jasper is the Scarecrow, and his cousins are the other three. They're all in the kitchen right now, we're just about ready to go."

"What happened to matching costumes?" I asked, following Alice through to the kitchen.

"I liked this idea better. It's more fun for them. Of course, there was a fight over who would dress as Dorothy."

We walked into the kitchen, Jasper sitting at the table with his nieces making sure they finished dinner before we left. "You look absolutely adorable." I teased him. He just scowled slightly at me, but I could tell he was smiling under the makeup.

Of course the three girls had thought I was telling them they looked adorable and they all jumped up to spin and show me their costumes. Lucy had apparently won the argument of who would be Dorothy, obviously since she was the one with auburn hair, Maria was dressed as the Cowardly Lion, her own golden hair hidden beneath the mane of the costume, and Nettie had on the silver costume of the Tin Man, her funnel hat strapped securely under her chin. Each girl had impeccable makeup on, thanks to Alice of course.

"Jasper said you brought your dog with you, can we pet him please?" Lucy asked politely.

"Yes, but let Edward hold him, ok? He's very excited."

I followed the three girls out into the living room where Edward was sitting on the couch with Bear. Our puppy immediately jumped up when he saw the three girls, but Edward had a tight hold on his leash and kept him close while Maria, Nettie, and Lucy each took a turn petting him and telling his he was just "oh so cute".

As soon as Alice and Jasper got the kitchen cleaned up we gathered the girls' candy buckets and headed out. It was freezing out, and thankfully all the girls had matching cloaks to wear over their costumes, but all I had was my fake leather cop jacket, so I was freaking cold. I did have the sense to put stockings on underneath my dress, and to wear my black UGGS, but I was still cold.

Edward, ever the gentleman, kept his arm wrapped around my shoulder so I wasn't shaking as we made our way around the apartment complex first, and then out into the side streets. All three girls were having such a great time, and they received continuous praise for their costumes. Sometimes Jasper went up to the door with them, if they asked, but most of the time the girls were running form house to house with smiles and giggling in excitement.

As we walked around the neighborhood Edward and I were complimented by other parents escorting their kids how creative our costumes were and that it was ingenious how we had included Bear.

"I think this was a very successful night." Jasper told his cousins as we began the walk back to the apartment around eight.

"Can we go to a few more houses, please, Jasper?" Lucy asked as she looked inside her candy bucket.

"No, we need to get back so your aunt can come get you. You can't be up too late tonight, you all have to go to school in the morning, remember. And so do Alice and I."

"How come you're still in school?" Maria asked, her feet dragging a little since she was getting tired.

I laughed quietly to myself at the innocence of her question. If only she had an idea of how much longer she was going to be in school herself.

"I'm still in school because I need to earn a degree to get a real job."

"But you do such a good job as our big cousin, why do you need another job?" Nettie cut in.

I saw Jasper smile to himself and Alice grabbed his hand giving it a squeeze.

"That's just what adults do." Jasper told her. I looked up at Edward. We both knew it looking at him. Jasper was going to be a natural when he and Alice eventually had kids of their own.

By the time we got home it was almost midnight. After Jasper's cousins had been picked up we stayed behind for some of Alice's Halloween concoctions. After which we needed at least an hour to sober up enough to drive the five minutes home. Edward being taller, and having had less to drink than myself, was the obvious choice to drive. He was completely sober by the time we left.

I wasn't inebriated to the state of passing out the moment we got back, but I was tired from the alcohol and the walking. Edward took Bear for his evening walk and gave him his cookie while I got undressed and cleaned up. I was already in bed, laying on my side facing the door when Edward walked in, Bear on his heels.

He assumed his place at the foot of the bed and Edward changed for bed while I watched him. "Do you enjoy staring? You know it's rude."

"I'm just enjoying the view." I quipped as he pulled on sleep pants sans underwear, facing away from me.

"So about your proposition from earlier," Edward started as he got into bed next to me.

"Yes…" I asked in return, eagerly scooting over into his arms.

Edward moved nearer, erasing the last inch of space between us, grabbing my leg and hitching my thigh to his waist. We tangled together easily, so used to the perfect way we fit together. It was effortless. We both knew all night that this was going to happen and so we had dressed accordingly. Well, dressed down accordingly.

The thin baby doll I had thrown on was quickly removed and discarded, followed by the sleep pants Edward had put on only minutes ago. He fumbled for a moment, reaching over to the nightstand to grab protection, and even more so as he struggled to get it on, so impassioned to pay attention to every part of me.

I tried not to laugh at him and how desperate he was, but it was rather hysterical to watch his facial expression twist into frustration as he attempted to sheath himself single handedly.

"You sure you got it on right?" I teased as he settled against me.

"Don't make me question it. I'll have to get another one out." He nudged my knees open a little more making room for himself. He pushed against me sliding in, in one movement.

We didn't go fast, we didn't need to. After three years of sleeping together it wasn't so much about getting off because at first that had been all we wanted. It was about being with each other.

But that didn't mean sex had to be any less passionate. And if Edward was anything other than a dedicated student, he was a passionate lover. He knew every way to move and how to anticipate what I needed before I even knew it. We had gotten to know each other's bodies so well.

We tried to draw out our time together as long as possible. Edward sat us up so I was in his lap, and he moved me up and down the best he could as he pumped his hips upward against my own. It was a difficult position to rock back and forth in, let alone find any friction, but my legs wrapped around his waist created a veritable vice, holding him deep inside my body.

At some point we ceased moving so much beyond a soft thrust, and it became about feeling our bodies wrapped around each other. We had found ourselves in this position so many times in recent weeks. We just wanted to hold and feel each other as close as possible. We knew all hell was going to break loose within the next twelve months and we were grabbing as much time like this as we could.

We finally fell back against bed in a loud sigh, both of us sated and happy. Edward rolled over as typical to toss the used condom in the trash then rolled back to me propping his head up on his hand.

He reached out in the semi-darkness to rub my side, his eyes shining with the afterglow of our lovemaking. I didn't have to be able to see in the dark to know that he was smiling.

"I love you," he whispered.

"You're only saying that because of the endorphins."

Edward, the pre-medical student, snorted and I felt him shake his head as he laughed. He slipped his arm around my waist and yanked me right up against the front of his body, wedging his knee between my thighs so I had to wrap one around his hip.

It was a warm and comfortable position to be in. I would have been happy to fall asleep just like that, but Edward had other plans. He tipped my chin up so he could kiss me. I angled my body slightly so he could get his other arm around me, wrapping me up entirely.

We shifted against each other as we kissed but we didn't engage in a round two, although I could feel how willing Edward was for it. When we broke apart we lay there facing each other just staring for a while before Edward finally broke the silence with an unexpected question.

"So who's cooking tomorrow night?"

"You mean later tonight?" I corrected him, glancing at clock. "It's Tuesday, so that would be you. What are you making me?"

"Oh, is that how its going to be?"

"Tuesdays are my long day…you know I don't want to cook."

"Bella, chill, I'm teasing. You actually sounded pissed for a moment."

"Sorry, I think its time to go to sleep."

"I second that."

Already close enough to where there was no space left between us, Edward simply kissed my forehead a few times before kissing me fully on the mouth. I felt him mouth 'I love you' before pulling away, and I mouthed it back.

The following morning I got up when my alarm went off. I had rolled over in my sleep and was facing away from Edward now, but he was spooned up behind me, his arm draped across my waist, his morning wood pressed into my back.

I got out of bed as gently as possible so I didn't wake him, tossed my robe on, and grabbed my phone on the way to the closet to pick out my clothes. I had a couple new emails and noticed that one of them was from my professor for my morning class. I opened it just to make sure it was nothing important, and I was glad that I did.

My professor had two little girls, and one of them had woken up with a fever of over 101 so she had rushed her to ER, effectively having to cancel class. She promised to send the lecture slides out in a separate email when she got the chance.

I quickly responded hoping everything was all right with her little girl and put my phone back down on the nightstand before jumping back into bed.

"Oomph," Edward rolled over, the air escaping from his lungs as I laid myself down on top of him trapping his arms beside his head. "Good morning to you, too."

"My class is canceled, I don't have to be on campus now until 11."

Edward smiled brightly despite his sleepy expression. But instead of the reaction I had been expecting, he wrapped both of his arms around and drew me down slowly until I was close enough that he could snuggle against me. He fell back asleep with a heavy sigh of satisfaction.

I just laid there for about twenty minutes, stroking his hair and watching him sleep until I passed back out.

I could get used to mornings like this.


	6. A Lazy Saturday We All Need Them

**Chapter 6, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

I had never been good at scrambling.

And I mean eggs, not fussing about trying to get myself together in a hurry.

We were into the first week of November now, and with the cooling weather came fall time colds, mine included with Bella's. However, seeing as she was far too tired to get out of bed and make breakfast this morning, it fell to me. I was recovering, she was just starting to come down with a cough and severe congestion. It would be gone in a few days and she would just have a slight cough to deal with, but in the mean time I knew she was going to be achy and grumpy, among other things.

The easiest way to her heart in these cases was cooking her something hot and yummy. Bear was at my feet waiting for bits of egg and cheese to fall so he could snatch them up.

"Opportunist," I muttered at him as one such bit of food fell and he grabbed it from the air before it even hit the floor.

Bear just grinned at me in the way only dogs can, his tongue lolling out and his eyes bright. His training was supposed to start some time next week, and so far Bella and I had not worked out a schedule, but Maggie, the trainer, was coming by for an initial meeting with Bear.

I finished up one plate of eggs and stuck it in the oven to keep warm before starting the next. Bear remained at my feet crying every few seconds I didn't give him something. I just shushed him and told him no. In the end, however, I may or may not have let a little bit more egg fall from the spatula.

I was just starting to sauté some whole grape tomatoes to go with the eggs when I heard Bella calling from the bedroom. I had left the door open in case Bear wanted to go in and lay with her. I turned the gas off on the stove and went to check on her.

"You ok?" I asked, stopping in the doorway when I saw her sitting up on the side of the bed.

"Yeah, I was just wondering where you were. Your side of the bed was cold." Her voice was two tones deeper than usual and scratchy thanks from the coughing and congestion. I had a hard time deciphering what she said, but I got the gist of it.

"I'm almost done with breakfast, I was going to bring it in and sit with you."

"You are so wonderful…"Bella sighed, swinging her feet back up onto the bed and burrowing them back beneath the blankets.

Thank God for Saturday mornings, or we would not get to have this time together, albeit with head colds.

"Could you please hand me my laptop and the purple notebook on the desk?" Bella asked, grabbing a handful of tissues from the box on her nightstand. Right, she had yet another paper due next Wednesday.

"Which one is this?" I asked since the notebook wasn't labeled.

"Abnormal Psychology, nothing too difficult. It's just a brief six-page essay on the importance of understanding abnormal psych and how it can be applied to modern-day practices and psychiatric diagnoses."

"Right, nothing too difficult." I deadpanned at her. Bella just stuck her tongue out and flipped the notebook open to where she had left off and began typing away. I was followed by the sound of her fingers clicking the keys at about one hundred words a minute as I walked out.

In my absence Bear had resigned himself to curling up on the threshold between the living room and kitchen, his big round eyes staring at me with the most pathetic expression on his face.

"Oh stop, I didn't abandon you. Come here." I told him, and he hopped up to trot over to my side, his smile back in place.

I went back to finishing breakfast, making toast while the tomatoes warmed and popped slightly in the pan. I knew Bella was not going to be able to smell much, but I was hoping the warm aromas of garlic, rosemary, and thyme would lift her spirits this morning.

"Breakfast is served, madam." I grinned at her as she pushed her laptop aside when I returned to the bedroom.

"You are a saint, thank you." I bent down to kiss her good morning, placing the plate in her lap, and her coffee on the nightstand. "I wish I could smell this, well I can slightly, but I wish I could smell it fully."

"Well, hopefully you can taste it." I settled on the bed next to her and grabbed the remote to turn the TV on. We sat there eating in relative silence watching cartoons and laughing. I was glad to see that the cold had not diminished Bella's appetite, as sickness was so prone to do with her.

"So we need to talk about a few things." Bella started, putting her plate off to the side.

Oh shit. The four most hated words any man does not want to hear were in that statement. _We. Need. To. Talk._

I put my own empty plate aside and turned to face her. Bella finished typing up a sentence for her essay and saved the document before snapping her computer shut and placing it at her feet.

"We need to figure out a schedule for the trainer, and we need to talk about who we're spending the holidays with."

I let out a breath in relief. Of course it wasn't going to be anything detrimental. I don't know where that moment of panic had come from. "Ok, lets start with Bear, since that's imminent."

"What afternoons are you not in class?"

I ran my finger across my plate to scoop up the excess cheese and licked it clean. "Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays."

Bella grabbed her day runner off her nightstand and checked her own class schedule. "The only afternoon I'm not in class is Wednesdays. So let's plan for Maggie, if she agrees to train Bear, to come twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays."

I nodded as I started to get up and clear the plates. "Yeah, that way Bear can train with both of us and reinforce whatever he learned the previous lesson."

"I hope," Bella muttered with a sly smile. Bear was sitting next to her side of the bed, still waiting for food ever since I had come in here with the plates.

"So, onto holidays." I came back in from putting the dirty dishes in the kitchen sink and hopped back up on the bed.

"My mom called me last week and said she wanted us to visit for Thanksgiving and Christmas since we haven't spent a lot of holidays with her in a while."

"I can live with that. Wait, the whole Christmas break?"

"I think I can get her to agree to Christmas, and then we can come back here for New Years and spend the rest of the break with your family."

I sighed heavily and got up, walking over to the large dresser we shared and began searching for clean clothes for the day. "This is getting too confusing."

"It actually works out well that way, we'll b back in time for Rosalie and Emmett's wedding since it's the second week of January."

"Not that you're entirely enthusiastic about that."

Bella shrugged and sipped at the fresh cup of coffee I had brought in for her. "I'm indifferent right now. But I'm sure my mood will change come the day of the wedding."

I started stripping off my nightwear and pulling on clean clothes. I didn't miss the fact that Bella was watching my every movement. It must be that time of the month as well for her. She never blatantly stares at me like that while I'm getting changed unless she's horny.

"You aren't PMSing right now, are you?"

"No, that was two weeks ago. My period has been over for ten days. How do you not notice these things?"

I just shrugged at that, to which Bella responded with an exasperated sigh and got up from the bed to stalk off into the bathroom. I knew she wasn't angry with me, she was just playing at being frustrated, and she did it well.

"Are you taking a long shower?" I called into the bathroom

"No, just jumping in and jumping out." Bella called back. I heard the water turn on and then she stuck her head out. "Why, did you want to get in with me?" She smiled slyly, looking at me from under her lashes.

"Are you offering?"

"Maybe,"

Bella shrieked and ducked back in as I began tugging my t-shirt over my head, following her. We got out fifteen minutes later, after standing under the hot spray and not really washing because Bella was enjoying me rubbing her neck and shoulders so much.

I got dressed and took Bear out for a quick walk. When I returned, Bella was dressed and had moved to the living room with her paper, stretched out on the couch, the TV on, and a blanket tucked around her legs.

"Cozy?" I asked.

"Quite,"

Bear trotted over to her and hopped up to curl at her feet. I felt bad doing it, but I kicked him off and sat down putting Bella's feet in my lap.

"So, what do you have to do today?" She asked a minute later.

"I need to read a little, but I'd rather just spend a lazy day with you. I really don't feel like doing anything."

"Yeah, as soon as I'm done with this, I want to lay here and watch TV."

"Sounds perfect," I rubbed her feet while she finished the last couple pages of her essay. I caught Bella glancing up at me a few times, obviously enjoying the second massage I was giving her. I knew she was sore and achy from the cold, and I may or may not have been vying to try and earn a little action later on.

Once Bella was done, she put her laptop on the coffee table and got up so she could scoot closer to me and relax against me. I grabbed the other blanket on the couch and wrapped it around both of us. Over the course of the rest of the afternoon we managed to get through our backed up DVR and cleared out most of the ninety-five percent of recorded material.

I could tell around five that Bella was getting hungry since she was fidgeting, and that was usually her tell. "Soup?"

"No,"

"Sandwich?"

"No,"

"Salad?"

"Hell no, my throat is way too scratchy."

"Then what the hell do you want?" I asked with a laugh.

"Give me a minute to think about it."

I sat there, one hand on her lower back rubbing circles. Yeah, I was still trying for later. "Any idea?" I asked after about a minute had passed.

"Uh…noodles." Bella said slowly.

"Ok, you need to get up for that."

Bella scooted enough for me to get and I started to walk toward the kitchen, but she called out, making me stop midstride. "Are you cooking or ordering?"

"Cooking, I was thinking spaghetti."

"Oh, good. I was hoping for that."

I actually laughed out loud. "You could have just said that."

"I know, but I like making you work for it."

I rolled my eyes, catching exactly what she meant by that. "Would you like me to warm up the meatballs in the freezer as well?" I asked, maybe a little too sweetly.

"Don't try and play that card with me. You know if I don't feel good later I'm not going to be in the mood."

"Who said I was trying to play any cards?" I shrugged. Bella grabbed a throw pillow and chucked it at me laughing. Then she got up and followed me into the kitchen to help with dinner.

At the end of the night it had been one of the most relaxing days we had had together in a while. And it had been extremely overdue. When we were cuddled up under a couple of blankets trying to fall asleep Bella asked if we could have more days like this.

"Of course we can, in between the training sessions, school, work…"

"Exactly," Bella sighed, turning over so she was facing me. "But today was nice regardless."

I cupped my hand under her chin raising her face a little so I could kiss her. She responded eagerly, but we didn't let it get out of control. It was sweet and gentle. Bella let out another sigh when we parted, scooting as close as she could and wrapped an arm around my waist. She was passed out seconds later.

By Monday her cold was much better and mine was completely gone. Bella left for class early as usual and I picked up around the apartment, called Maggie to set up the time on Wednesday for Bear's first appointment and got some stuff ready for dinner.

Mondays was Bella's night to cook.

When I came back the smell of melted cheese and baked chicken greeted me at the door. Oh, chicken Parmesan. As soon as I walked into the kitchen the smell of garlic mixed with everything else and I started to drool.

"Hungry?" Bella asked, her voice much improved from the raspy whisper it had been on Saturday.

"Starving, and you made one of my favorites." I circled my arms around her waist from behind, burying my nose in her hair. "You smell better than the food, though."

Bella sighed in my arms, stirring the small pot of angel hair on the stove. "Five minutes, ok."

"Five minutes," I repeated, and kissed the top of her head before heading off to change into something a little more comfortable for the rest of the night.

After dinner I offered to do the dishes while Bella took Bear out for a walk. We cuddled on the couch with respective work, me with my paper and Bella with some reading and notes. The TV was on in the background like always, some stupid sitcom.

"What do you want for Christmas?" I asked out of nowhere, my eyes quickly catching the holiday commercial that was playing.

"Nothing," Bella answered in between a sip of tea.

I put my pen down and stared at her. Bella glanced back over the rim of her mug and started laughing, which led to a coughing fit, which led to me taking the cup from her hands and rubbing her back until the fit subsided.

"Nothing, really?"

"I just want to spend time with you."

"That's sweet, Bells, but we can do that regardless of everything going on around us."

"What do you want for Christmas?" She asked me rhetorically.

I waggled my eyebrows at her.

"Is that the only thing you think about it?"

I nodded.

"You need help," Bella sipped her tea again and settled back against the couch shaking her head.

"So," I asked again a few seconds later.

"So, what?" Bella asked back.

"What do you want for Christmas?"

"I'll get back to you on that."

"Does that mean I can get back to you on mine?"

"Absolutely,"

Everything was spoken between us within thirty seconds and we started laughing together. Bella put her book down and crawled over to me settling between my knees with her arms looped around my neck.

"We need another weekend like the one that just ended."

"I agree,"

"Maybe we'll get the chance over the holidays." Bella fingered the button at the top of my shirt flicking it open.

"Maybe," I played along.

"Maybe over the holiday coming up?" She flicked open a few more buttons. I liked where this was going.

"Hm," I sighed and tipped my head back exposing my neck to her. Bella descended attaching her lips to my neck and sucking gently, like a benevolent vampire. We never had engaged in any fun over the weekend, and I knew she had been horny.

I sat up so Bella could take my shirt off, then she sat up and slipped her own t-shirt over her head. She helped me off with my sleep pants next then had to stand to remove her own sweatpants.

I definitely liked where this was going.

I caught her in my arms as she settled back down against me, wiggling her panties down far enough. She tugged down my shorts to my ankles and proceeded to settle herself in the right position. I couldn't remember the last time we had had sex on the couch, and that was when it occurred to me.

"Wait, condom." I said holding her hips.

"Shit, I think there's one in the end table."

I had to twist to reach over the arm of the couch and yank the drawer open. Bella shifted on top of me so I could twist more and I rummaged for a moment in the drawer until I found a couple foil packages. After checking the date on them and the condition of the wrapper, (which was practically new, so it must have been from the box I bought last week), I ripped it open and pulled the rubber on.

"Did you put these out here?" I asked, grabbing Bella's hips and repositioning her.

"Yeah, a few days ago. I was hoping something would happen over the weekend, but it never did." Bella shrugged nonchalantly.

Well, something was about to happen now. I lifted Bella up barely a couple inches then brought her back down sliding into her all at once. A soft sigh fell from her lips, a sigh in relief. I knew how she felt. It had been a little less than a week since the last time we had sex, and the build up to it was nothing compared to the moment we actually joined together. I never felt complete until we were together like this.

Bella started moving almost immediately, desperately swaying above me. I held onto her to help guide up and down and back and forth. She was exquisite, letting the side of her come out that I only got to see behind closed doors. Gone was the awkward, shy Bella I had met three years ago. In her place now was a confident, ethereal beauty not afraid to express herself sexually.

"Ungh…Bella, that is so good." I moaned as she twisted her hips against mine. "God, I'm so close."

She didn't say anything, just kept moving against me as I pushed back against her. I kept a tight hold on her waist, focusing on the feel of our bodies being connected, the way they slid against each other, the friction caused by our skin. I finally couldn't hold on any longer. I moaned out my release, my hips snapping upward frantically. Bella let her head fall back, the tips of her hair touching my knees as a deep sigh issued out of her.

She lay down against me, her bra-clad breasts pressing against me as she breathed. We were both exceedingly warm as we lay there catching our breath, enough so to try and kick away the blanket that had bunched around us. But the more I tried to shift it off the more it tangled around us.

We both fell back to the couch laughing. It was pointless. I don't know how long we lay there, Bella snuggled against me as I drew random patterns on her lower back. Yes, we were both naked, and no, we didn't care. What finally broke our perfect little bubble was Bear's quiet whining by the front door.

"Ugh…so don't want to move right now."

Bella chuckled above me causing her breasts to jiggle slightly in her bra. The sensation made me hard all over again.

Bella looked up my chest at me, "Someone has to take him."

"I got it." I groaned, already shifting underneath her. Bella moved off me, grabbing the blanket to wrap around her as I got up. I located my shorts and yanked them and my sleep pants on. My t-shirt had somehow managed to get tangled up in the blanket. I threw my coat on over everything than grabbed Bear's leash and took him outside for his nighttime walk.

When we got back I noticed that Bella had moved to the bedroom, and I assumed she had already gotten dressed for the night and was probably laying down waiting for me so she could snuggle. What I got when I walked in the was the last thing I anticipated.

Bella had gotten dressed, but it was in a short black baby doll that was practically see-through at the top and lacy at the bottom. She was lying on her side facing the door, her head propped up on one elbow, her other arm extended down the length of her body.

"Hey, sexy." She greeted me and rolled onto her back stretching out, and then slowly drew her legs up and propped herself up on her elbows. "Are you going to join me or not?"

I needed no further encouragement than that. I dashed back out to make sure the front door was locked, turned the lights off and bid Bear goodnight before striding back into the bedroom, already peeling off my t-shirt.


	7. Thanksgiving and Then Some

**Chapter 7, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

To say that the week leading up to Thanksgiving break was hectic is a severe understatement. Perhaps the biggest understatement of the century, the millennia, all of creation. Ok, maybe that's getting a little dramatic.

Bear's training started, and it was so far progressing well. He already knew how to sit and heel, and that was after only the first two weeks. The schedule Edward and I had agreed on was working for now, but with the holidays coming up it was going to get crazy, and we were planning on taking Bear with us to Florida tomorrow when we left to spend the holiday with my mother and step-father.

We had an extremely early flight. Departure was at 6 am and would land at JAX around 9. My mom didn't live that far away from the airport, maybe twenty minutes or so, but it gave her the chance to come get us early instead of having to wait until the afternoon and leave whatever she was in the middle of to pick us up.

I snapped my laptop shut after I finished the email to my mom with our departure/arrival time, airline, and gate number so she would know where to go. I had already asked if it would be all right to bring our puppy, and she happily agreed to house Bear for the long weekend. She couldn't wait to meet him. I had been sending her pictures of him every chance I got over the last few months as he grew. He was almost thirty pounds now, a little small, but he would fill out in the next six months as he gained more muscle.

Speaking of which.

"Oomph," I grunted as Bear bulldozed into me as he ran over from the front door. He jumped up, laying his front paws on my computer. "No," I told him firmly, but not harshly, and pushed him down. He got the message and sat down on his haunches waiting for me to pet him. "Good boy," I praised him as I rubbed behind his ear. He tried to jump again and kiss me, but I told him 'no', and he stayed down.

"Did you pack yet?" Edward asked as he hung up Bear's leash on the coat rack but not his coat. That seemed odd.

"No, just about to, why?"

"I need to go out and grab some essentials."

I rolled my eyes. "You mean you need to go out and buy more condoms to bring with us?"

"Of course," He flashed me his patent shit-eating grin.

"You realize we'll be staying in the same room as last time. My room, right across from my mother's."

Edward shrugged, "So. Did we not have hot, dirty sex last time?"

"That was over the summer, and she wasn't home at the time. This is Thanksgiving weekend. Not only will she be home but so will Phil. All those football games."

Edward just waved it off and grabbed his car keys from the bowl by the door. "We can be quiet. I'll be right back."

"Grab some Dramamine for me, please."

"You want any trash rags to read?"

"Oh absolutely, because I really care about what's going on in glorious Hollywood right now." My tone dripped with sarcasm.

Edward chuckled and headed out. I wandered off to the bedroom to locate our suitcases and start pulling out weather appropriate clothing for late November in Florida.

I left the toiletry bag out that we shared out so he could pack his "essentials" in it and began folding and rolling clothes so they would fit. Edward had showed me once, a long time ago, how to pack properly so clothes didn't take up so much space. I completely forgot everything as I tried to shut the suitcase.

"You just don't listen to me, do you?"

I turned to see my fiancé standing in the bedroom, arms crossed over his chest, a plastic bag dangling from his hand. "Let me do it." He offered.

I took the bag and added its contents to the toiletry bag, opting to put the Dramamine in my purse. I loathed flying, and driving was completely out of the question. We would have had to leave yesterday.

Bear came barreling into the room and jumped up on the bed. We were continuing to allow him to do so because he produced so much heat at night and kept us both warm while we tried to sleep as he snored.

"There, see." Edward gestured proudly to the suitcase that was now perfectly packed and zipped shut without effort.

"I really hate you sometimes." I reached up looping my arms around his neck and kissed him.

"You love me, you know you do."

"Too much for my own good."

We stood there for several minutes continuing to make out, and were ready to move things to the next stage, but Bear started whining from where he lay on the bed. Obviously he felt neglected.

We broke apart and Edward reached over to rub his belly. I glanced at the clock noticing how late it was. "We need to get to bed."

"Yes we do," Edward agreed, grabbing me around the waist and puling me against his solid body so I could feel his hard on.

"Not what I mean. We have an early morning."

"Do I get early morning sex?"

"Is that all you can think about right now?" I accused, smacking his arm in play.

"No, I'm just exceptionally turned on right now. Maybe your monthly hormone surges are rubbing off on me." He smiled teasingly and tried to lean in and kiss me again, but I slipped out under his arm, walking to the dresser.

I grabbed some sleep pants for him and a pair of his shorts for me. "If you bothered to count the days, darling, you would know my period is not expected for another two weeks." I tossed his sleep pants at him.

Edward grumbled as he undressed for the night and tugged his sleep pants on. I thought I heard something along the lines of 'smartass' and 'isn't that what the pills are for', but I could have been wrong.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked sweetly once we were curled up.

"No," Edward rolled onto his side so he was facing me and reached out to take hold of my waist to pull me in. "But only if you make it up to me."

"And how would I go about doing that?" I asked, already reaching my hand down between his legs.

"Well, you're on the right path…" He snickered, and wrapped me up in his arms crushing his lips to mine, effectively ending the conversation.

As a result of our nightly romp we were slow moving in the morning. Edward groaned and complained about the early hour all through his shower and getting dressed. I hopped in after him and while he was packing the car I took Bear for a quick walk and fed him a little dry food.

"Edward, where's the sedative?" I called out going through the backpack we used as a carry-on.

"It's on the counter where I left it when I picked it up yesterday." He called back from the bathroom.

"No it's not, and I need to give it to Bear at least an hour before the flight."

Edward came out with his toothbrush still stuck in his mouth and he started moving things around on the kitchen counter and breakfast counter until he found the small package tucked behind the grocery money jar.

"Don't ask me how it ended up there." He spluttered through a mouth full of toothpaste.

I stuck the small pill in a spoonful of peanut butter and gave it to Bear, who happily lapped at the utensil, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. This dog loved peanut butter. Once he was safely locked into his crate we strapped it into the backseat of Edward's Volvo and a few minutes later we were off for the airport.

It was going to cost us an extra $100 for Bear because of the weight of both him and the crate together, on top of our one suitcase. Edward grabbed one of the last spots in long-term parking and we headed for the entrance for our airline.

"Is he out yet?" I asked. Edward was carrying Bear.

"I'll check when we get up there."

We checked in inside, it was a little frightening handing Bear, who was passed out inside his crate, to a complete stranger and trusting that he would be all right for the flight.

"What if he ends up on the wrong plane?" I asked Edward as we walked toward security. The line was almost a forty-minute wait, but it was moving quickly. Thankfully we had followed the 2-hour-early rule, so we still had plenty of time.

"He'll be fine, Bella. Trust me," Edward leaned down and kissed the top of my head.

"I don't know…"

I stood beside Edward as the line moved forward, worrying my lip until it was bright red and chapped from biting it. Edward finally reached over at the point I started chewing on my thumbnail. "Relax,"

"He's just a puppy, Edward."

"He's fine."

"How do you know that?"

Edward was silent, meaning he didn't know. "Exactly," I got out my passport and boarding pass to hand over to the security guard to check. As me moved toward the metal detectors I pulled my shoes off and got our laptops. I hated the whole, long process of checkpoints.

Once we were cleared to head for our gate, everything put back on and packed up as it should be, we stopped to grab an overpriced breakfast and coffees as well as some snacks for the flight. Edward was completely at ease once we sat down in the waiting area. He passed out within minutes while I was left sitting there, still worrying over Bear.

I shook Edward awake when it was time for us to board. He must have been exhausted because he passed out again as soon as we sat down. I stared out the window leaning on the heel of my palm watching as luggage was loaded into the belly of the plane. I tried to see Bear's crate mixed with everything, but the flatbed pulling all of the luggage disappeared from my view before I could find it.

I shut my eyes as we took off, chewing harshly on my piece of gum. I had popped my Dramamine before we left the apartment, but it wasn't doing much right now to settle my stomach. Edward remained asleep for the first hour of the flight, waking up only when I asked if he wanted anything to drink.

"Coffee," he mumbled before passing back out, his head on my shoulder. I asked the flight attendant for two coffees, cream and sugar for both. They were also handing out pastries as a breakfast, so I also asked for two croissants, since I knew Edward loved them as much as I did.

I woke him up so he could drink his coffee, and he remained awake after that. I was still feeling sick an hour later and asked Edward for the Coke he had bought at the airport. We hit a little turbulence over Georgia and I felt like I was going to be sick. I actually had to lean forward with my head between my knees, Edward rubbing my back the entire time until the wave of nausea passed and I could sit back up.

I knew exactly why I felt so damned awful. I was worrying too much about Bear, shut away down in the luggage hold. By the time we finally touched down I was exhausted and cramped from sitting in the seat for just over three hours. I texted my mom to let her know we had arrived and she responded quickly that she was already on her way to JAX to pick us up.

"How are you feeling?" Edward asked once we were off the plane and heading toward baggage claim.

"Better now that my feet are on solid ground. I think we should drive next time."

"That's a two-day drive, Bella, with stops. Longer if we bring Bear, since he'll need to pee more often than you." He finished with a laugh, obviously hoping to cheer me up with his joke, but all I managed was a 'ha ha'. Edward slipped an arm around my waist pulling me gently into his side.

"Where do we go to pick up Bear?"

"Over there," Edward pointed to an area next to the main baggage claim. Thankfully there was no line. He pulled out Bear's paperwork and identification as well as his ID and our flight information.

As soon as Bear was handed back over to us I felt ten times better. He was still groggy from the sedative, but his eyes were open. He half stood in his crate and stretched. We were instructed not to let him out of the crate until we were outside, and to make sure he was leashed.

My mom was waiting for us when we got outside. She got out of the car as soon as she spotted us and wrapped us both up in a hug. "I've missed you both so much."

"Its good to see you, too, mom."

When she let us go she eyed the crate in Edward's hand and knelt down to look inside. "Oh, he is just too sweet." She cooed. "How did he take to the flight?"

"He slept the whole time, I assume." Edward answered with a light chuckle.

"Well, you both look exhausted so lets get going. I'm sure you want to go back to bed as soon as possible."

Edward nodded enthusiastically. I put Bear in the back seat between Edward and I while he stored our bags in the trunk. The drive back took about forty minutes thanks to holiday traffic leaving the airport. My mom stopped for coffee on the way, treating us both.

"So how is your senior year going?" she asked at one point, glancing in the rearview mirror at us.

"Good," I shrugged, "my schedule is busier."

"It's good." Edward yawned, stretching his arms out.

"When do you apply for medical school, Edward?"

"I've already sent in some applications. I have two more to finish by January."

"At least you're being proactive about it. It's very competitive."

"I know, believe me. The essays alone are time consuming. And I need letters of recommendation from three different professors and other people outside my family."

"Well, thankfully your father has good connections at the hospital." I told him, reaching over to lay my hand on his thigh.

"That and having letters from other doctors looks really good."

Renee nodded from the front seat. "Sounds like you two have everything all set. Bella, how's your grad school application going?"

"I'm almost done. I still need to finish my essay for it and I need two more letters from my professors. I'll have everything in by January. I'm applying to stay on at the college. It's easier." I said this last part looking at Edward. He smiled at me in response. He was applying to medical schools across the area of New Hampshire, and we weren't keen on moving, so I decided staying at Dartmouth would make it easier for both of us. He wasn't too concerned about commuting a few hours a day.

Once back at my mom's house, Bear was more than eager to be let out of his crate. Edward had him on the leash before he could get away and took him for a short walk around the house so Bear could relieve himself.

"I put this in here for Bear in case he needed it." Renee said to me as we walked into my room with the bags. She gestured to a kennel set up by the door with a blanket inside.

"Oh, mom, you didn't need to go out and get one of these."

"I didn't, it's Phil's from when he had his Rottweiler. I didn't know if Bear would need it or not."

"Well, not to sleep in, we usually let him sleep on the bed with us. But maybe tomorrow so he's out of the way while we cook."

Renee set the large suitcase on my bed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you and Edward, Phil and I invited some friends from his job over for dinner."

I shrugged. "That's fine, I don't care. I think Bear will deal with being in the kennel. We had him in one the first couple months after we adopted him."

"If he's good, he doesn't have to be in there."

"Well, we'll see."

**EPOV**

As soon as we were at the house I let Bear out before he could crap inside his crate. He happily allowed me to put him on the leash and walk him around the house to do his business. I had to admit it was much easier to pick up dog shit off of sand than grass.

I let Bear off his leash when we were inside and headed upstairs to find Bella. She had already unpacked our suitcase and was throwing fresh sheets on her bed.

"Where did the kennel come from?"

"It was Phil's back from when he had a Rottweiler. Renee set it up just in case. Apparently she and Phil invited some friends to have dinner here tomorrow so we may need to crate him." Bella nodded at Bear who had followed me up the stairs.

I waved it off. "He can deal,"

"That's what I said." She sheathed the pillows in their cases and tossed them on the bed. I helped her spread the light comforter and we promptly hopped up and got comfortable. "I could really go for a nap right now." Bella yawned as she cuddled into my chest.

"Then lets take a nap, because I'm exhausted."

Bella nodded, "Me, too."

We woke up a few hours later and ventured downstairs to find some food. Renee and Phil were in the living room watching TV together. "I made some sandwiches, they're in the fridge." She called as we passed by.

"Where's Bear?" I asked.

"He's out here with us, passed out." Phil answered. "We figured you two could use some peace."

"Thanks," Bella and I answered together.

"He's a great dog, you two are doing wonderful raising him." Renee beamed at both of us. "You'll be great parents."

Bella groaned and disappeared into the kitchen. I chuckled and followed her in. She was in the fridge, bent over looking for the promised food.

"Nice ass,"

Bella shot up and looked over her shoulder sharply at me, glaring at me with squinty eyes. "Jerk," She muttered before going back to the fridge. I sat down at the table while she got the sandwiches together along with some drinks and some chips.

"You think Bear will be ok tomorrow with other people?"

"I think he'll be all right, but I can keep him out back with me."

"That's probably a good idea."

"Will you be stuck in the kitchen all day?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "More than likely. You know how my mom is with cooking."

I knew. And Bella was up bright and early the next morning to help. By the time I came down around 7, she and Renee already had the turkey in the oven, potatoes going on the stove, and Bella was in the middle of making two pies.

"You don't mess around." I commented, grabbing a mug from the cabinet and getting a cup of coffee.

"Not today, no." Bella grinned at me. She sipped her coffee and continued rolling out pie crust.

"Did you have breakfast yet?"

"No, would you please make me some, I'm starving."

"Where's your mom?"

"Waking Phil up, he needs to help get the yard and house straightened up."

I cooked us some eggs, making extra in case Bella's mom and stepfather wanted any. Bella specifically requested an omelet with cheddar cheese, which of course I couldn't deny her because she would be cooking her little ass off for the next four hours or so.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked once the breakfast dishes were clear.

"Yeah, can you drain those potatoes and start mashing them for me, please. Then after that we can do the appetizers together."

Renee and Bella had put on both white and sweet potatoes to be mashed up, and I went about getting them ready. I had Bella check the consistency to make sure it was what she wanted. Renee tried them too when she came back in.

"Oh, who made the eggs?"

"I did,"

"Thank you, Phil's grumbling about food." She grabbed a plate to take out to him and came back in quickly to help.

Bella showed her mom how to finish the two pies so she and I could get started on all of the little appetizers. Almost three hours later we were practically done with everything, just the cookies and a few other side dishes to finish up. Most of it was being prepared now and cooked later, and some of it cooked now to be reheated later.

"Ok, I need a shower now." Bella wiped off her brow.

"Go on, you two have done enough for me already."

"I'm going to help clean and everything, but I want to wash up first."

"Take your time, Bella." Renee shooed us from the kitchen, so we headed upstairs and jumped into the shower together. Of course it led to a quick romp under the hot spray. Bella was much more relaxed when we got out, grinning happily.

"I feel so much better now, practically human again." She sighed as she finished getting dressed in her purple sweater outfit. I had chosen jeans and a blue t-shirt. "So, I have something I want to dress Bear in, if that's ok with you."

"Is it a sweater?"

"No, it's a costume."

"Oh, Bella…don't do that to my dog."

"_Our_ dog," She corrected me. "Come on, it'll be funny."

I let her show me the turkey costume she had gotten for Bear and was only just now telling me about. I had to admit it was rather funny, and Bear being so easy going hopefully wouldn't mind it.

A little while later we sere sitting out on the back deck in one chair cuddled up together, Bear on his leash laying down beside us in his costume. I had one arm wrapped around Bella, the other hand holding onto the leash. The guests were starting to arrive, so we figured it was time to take Bear outside for a bit.

The glass door slid open behind us and Bella looked up to see who it was, immediately jumping up and rushing over to throw her arms around her dad. He seemed shocked to get such a reaction from her, but hugged her back nonetheless.

"What are you doing here? When did you get here?" Bella gushed.

Bear sat up as Charlie had appeared and growled lightly. "Heel," I pulled on Bear's leash lightly and it tightened the lead around his neck enough that he knew to lay back down. "Good boy."

"I just got here, Bells, it was a surprise. Your mother's idea. So, is this the little mongrel?" Charlie asked as he eased down onto the side of another chair.

"Yup, this is Bear," Bella introduced our puppy proudly. "You can let him go a little, Edward."

I loosened the leash and let Bear trot over to Charlie, where he held his hand out for Bear to sniff, and soon the Chief had a new best friend. Bear was eagerly licking his face in greeting. "He seems like quite a handful. And what the hell is this you've got him in?"

"I thought it would be funny." Bella pouted. "Is it too much?"

"No, it's fine." Charlie laughed. He gently put Bear down, and he trotted back over to me where he laid back down, his head on his front paws. "Your mom just put the snacks out if you two are hungry."

"Oh, good, I'm starving."

"Again?" I asked Bella incredulously.

"Hey, if you were standing in that kitchen as long as I was this morning, which you were actually, you wouldn't be able to wait either to get your hands on some of that food." Bella asked Charlie if he would like anything, he requested a beer, and disappeared inside to get food.

"So, how's college?" Charlie asked once we were alone. Why do parents always ask that question first?

"Good, we're both working on applications right now on top of class work. We're both doing well. For now,"

Charlie's eyebrow went up at that last statement. "Once medical school starts for me, and grad school for Bella, our lives are going to get much more complicated." I explained.

"You'll get through it."

Bella walked back out then and handed her dad his drink. He returned inside a minute later, stealing a pig-in-a-blanket from Bella's plate first. She settled back down next to me on the chair where we shared the snacks she brought out and continued to sip our wine. It was a nice relaxing way to let the afternoon wind down before dinner.

Renee came out every now and then when people arrived to introduce Bella and I. Bear was a huge hit with everyone, and they adored his costume. We were smart to stay outside with him, he growled a few times, but never threateningly. I would just tell him 'no' firmly and he would stop.

When it was finally dinnertime, I took Bear upstairs to the kennel along with his dinner, removing that silly costume first, and shut the bedroom door. If he started crying we wouldn't hear it downstairs, and he would have to deal until dinner was over.

"I can't believe you two are really engaged." Renee commented some time into the meal. Of course when she introduced Bella and I to everyone, she had always said fiancé before my name, and it took most of her guests by surprise.

Bella finished chewing on her bit of turkey before responding, "Well, you and dad were actually younger than me when you guys got married."

"Yes, but you were just around the corner, dear. That's different."

I grabbed Bella's hand on the table. "I just couldn't wait anymore."

"No, that's not true, I found the ring by accident, remember."

Several people looked up with interest. "Oh, this a romantic story I can feel it," commented Mrs. Varner, as she had been introduced earlier.

Bella laughed and took a breath before starting. "We have a really bad habit of losing socks in the wash in our apartment. And last March I was packing for spring break and came across a single sock in the hamper. For the longest time I had thought its partner was lost. So when I went looking in the dresser for it, I found it bunched up in the back of the drawer."

I picked up from there. "I bought her ring last December, and I was planning a really romantic proposal, but well, we had hit a bit of rough patch." I looked at Bella who smiled encouragingly, "So at the time I had no idea how to ask her. And while Bella was packing she called me into the bedroom where she was sitting on the bed with the ring box in her hand and the two grey socks next to her."

"And you got down on one knee and everything?" Charlie asked. He already knew the story. I had called him that December when I bought the ring to get his blessing, which of course he gave.

"Of course he got down on one knee, dad."

"Actually, I think it was two." I cut in. "I was feeling desperate at the time considering the situation we were in." Several people at the table chuckled.

"Well, you both seem to be doing very well, and Renee and Phil told us how promising your college careers are." Mrs. Varner's husband commented politely.

I saw Bella roll her eyes.

"Hers is at least." I commented dryly.

I got a swat on the arm for that. "Stop doing that to yourself. You'll get in." Now I rolled my eyes. "Someone please tell him how brilliant he is." Bella asked exasperatedly of everyone around the table.

I helped clear all of the dishes from the table and put out the ones for dessert while Bella worked in the kitchen to put leftovers away and get dessert ready. I went upstairs to check on Bear after that. He had finished his dinner and was now passed out in the corner of the kennel, curled up and peaceful. Perfect.

Over dessert, Bella and I managed to have decent conversation with Charlie. We talked mostly about what we would be doing after graduation in the spring, and the next time we would be flying out to Washington to spend some time with him.

"Don't be surprised if there is another person in the house when you two come to visit." He admitted slowly, hesitantly.

Bella looked at her dad with surprise, a smile turning up the corners of her lips. "Is there something you need to share with us?"

"Do you remember Sue? She and her kids joined us for Thanksgiving last year." Charlie asked Bella.

"Of course, Harry had a heart attack a couple years ago. I remember how hard Leah and Seth took it." Leah had not been the most jovial at dinner as I remember it.

"Well, we've been spending a lot of time together in the last year. I asked her to move in with me."

"Oh, Dad, I'm so happy for you." Bella reached over and hugged her father. Charlie smiled to himself and I found out where Bella got her trademark blush.

"Good for you," I congratulated him in between bites of the apple pie Bella had made this morning. I was trying not to moan as I ate it.

I was just as surprised as Bella by this news, always thinking Charlie Swan to be a loner and bit of a hermit, just like his daughter. But it was good to see him moving on with his life. I could tell Bella was really happy for him.

"So does that mean I may have some new step-siblings in the future?" She teased.

"One step at a time, Bells. We only just started talking about her and Seth and Leah possibly moving in, or even getting a new house altogether."

"You wouldn't really sell that house, would you dad?"

"It doesn't exactly have the room for three more people, and…" Charlie let out a deep breath, glancing at Renee down the table, "It's time to put some old memories behind me and move on."

Bella reached over and touched his hand again. "I'm really happy for you, dad. And Sue. How are Seth and Leah feeling about it?"

"They're ok with it." Charlie laughed at a memory as it popped into his head. "I was telling Sue the other day about you and Edward and how you two are engaged now. I showed Seth and Leah a picture from your vacation over the summer. Leah thinks you're…what was the word she used?" He asked looking at me like I knew.

"Hot?" Bella guessed.

"Something along those lines." Charlie laughed.

I covered my ears. "I am not hearing this very _awkward _conversation."

"Ok, we'll change the subject." Bella offered, and we promptly switched to discussing my brother's upcoming wedding. Not exactly better, but less awkward at least.


	8. When Bear Gets Too Excited

**Chapter 8, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

I woke up Friday feeling slightly confused. There was sunlight in the room. I wasn't used to that. I was used to perpetual cloud cover and waking to grey light filtering in, but not bright sunlight. It made me momentarily forget where I was. That is, until Bella rolled herself on top of me pinning my hands above my head. I clearly felt her move, meaning the bed was too small. Ah, yes. We were in Florida.

"Good morning," Bella whispered sweetly, pressing her lips against mine. Her fingers curled into mine where they lay on either side of my head. She pressed the weight of her body down on mine effectively keeping me pinned for as long as I would allow it.

"Morning," I whispered back, and noticed how quiet it was. "Where's Bear?"

"Phil came in a little while ago and took him out for a walk and fed him. He's probably passed out in the living room."

I closed my eyes and nodded, ready to fall back asleep. But then another thought occurred to me as Bella began kissing down my throat and shoulder. "Wait, where's your mom, and why aren't you out shopping with her?"

"You're complaining?" Bella asked, sounding surprised by my question.

"No, I just thought she would come steal you away."

"She knows how I feel about Black Friday. I won't go out at 3 am with her. It's almost eight and she's not even back yet. She probably won't be back until lunch some time. But we won't be here."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, my dad doesn't fly back until this afternoon, so I figured you, me and him could go out this morning for breakfast. Is that ok? I mean, I would like to spend some time together. I won't get the chance to see him again until spring break probably."

"Oh, is that decided? We're going up there for a week?" I teased.

"Only if you want to."

I took the advantage of Bella being off guard and rolled us so that she was now lying on her back and I was on top. She giggled loud enough for me to warrant shushing her with a kiss, which she responded to enthusiastically. I was just beginning to snake my hand under her sleep shirt when there was a knock on the bedroom door.

We quickly disengaged and sat up in bed as if nothing was happening. Of course, I was completely naked, but I had the blanket across my lap. The door opened slowly and Charlie stuck his head in.

"Morning, kids. I'm not interrupting anything am I?" He looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but was then almost knocked off his feet as Bear cam charging up the stairs and burst through his legs and into the room.

He jumped up on the bed and nearly missed stepping between my legs. I moved out of the way at the last moment, Charlie laughed in the doorway. "He certainly is a handful." Charlie observed as Bella attempted to handle Bear. She was fully clothed, so she got out of bed, holding the squirming dog in her arms.

"Yeah he is. " She set him down the floor where he circled a couple times, chasing his tail before he finally sat down with a huge grin on his face. "So dad, how do you feel about going out for breakfast this morning?"

"I was actually going to ask you two the same thing." He grinned a little beneath his mustache. "I'll give you guys time to get ready. Do you know anywhere good to eat?"

"Yeah, I know a place, and we can take Bear."

"Do we have to?" I whined, still sitting in the bed.

Bella and Charlie both laughed.

Half an hour later we were walking out the front door, Bear on his leash as he trotted happily between Bella and me. Charlie was next to Bella, the two of them talking about the spring. I had no idea where we were going, let alone that there were pet friendly restaurants in the area.

"So where exactly are we going?"

"Over there," Bella pointed ahead of us to a small café with a paw-shaped sign over the door that said "Dog Days – A Pet Friendly Eatery".

"How did you know about this place?" I asked.

"My mom told me about it last night when I mentioned I wanted to go out this morning."

"Well, lets go, Bells. I'm hungry enough to eat a bear." Charlie remarked in a gruff voice. Bear yapped excitedly and jumped at Charlie, thinking he had said his name. "You have far too much energy for something so small."

We decided to sit outside and enjoy the warm weather, knowing that once we all left tomorrow it was back to dull skies and cooler temperatures. Bear jumped up on the bench next to Bella and lay down with his head in her lap. A waitress came over with a bowl of water for Bear and three menus.

I was surprised by the selection of pet dishes they had available for order. Bella and I decided to allow Bear to have a small bowl of chicken that was ground up very fine and flavored with pet food sauce. Charlie ordered steak and eggs, which didn't surprise me, much. Bella was enchanted with the paw-shaped pancakes and so we ordered a stack to share with some scrambled eggs on the side.

Bear happily dove into his bowl when it arrived, barely coming up for air as he consumed it. He lapped up almost all of his water after that, which our waitress dutifully refilled when she came to check on us. She asked if we would like anything after clearing our plates and offered a dog biscuit for Bear that was dipped in pet friendly chocolate.

I glanced at Bella, who smiled and nodded. We didn't want Bear to get used to being spoiled, but every now and then wasn't so bad. Charlie paid the check, much to mine and Bella's annoyance, since it had been Bella who wanted to take her father out in the first place.

Before we left we had our picture taken with Bear to be hung up inside. Our waitress gave us a copy and a certificate for a free pet meal the next time we came. It didn't expire, so we considered using it at Christmas the next time we would be down in Florida.

"So what else would you like to do, dad?" Bella asked as we left.

"I don't know," Charlie shrugged. "I'm not well acquainted with the area down here."

"Well, I suggest we go for a walk, since somebody is obviously sniffing around for a place to crap." I interjected, pulling one of the plastic poop bags from the dispenser on Bear's leash.

Once Bear took care of his business we headed off toward the beach. Bella had thought ahead to pack a small bag with towels and a couple of Bear's favorite toys, along with some water and treats for him and snacks for the rest of us.

Charlie didn't hang out long, not used to long spells of sunshine and complained of being too warm after an hour or so. The house wasn't far, so he went back to pack and promised to return before he had to leave. I could tell Bella was a little upset, but she knew it had more to do with Charlie being the loner type, so she wasn't too saddened by her father's departure.

"It just amazes me how smart this dog is sometimes." I commented as I removed my sandals and buried my toes in the warm sand. It felt so good. Bella had taken off her flip flops and was throwing a ball to Bear, who ran off got it and brought it back without having to tell him to do so.

"I know, we didn't even have to teach him to fetch, he just does it." Bella laughed from where she stood next to me. She tossed the ball again and this time Bear leapt into the air to catch it, twisting around and almost completing a full flip. "Good boy!" Bella petted him happily and rubbed his sides as he came back. "Maybe when you're a little bigger we'll try a Frisbee."

"Try it now, didn't you pack one?"

"No, just his black Kong and a tennis ball." Bella glanced sheepishly at me then tossed Bear his ball, which he brought back a moment later.

I laid down on my back with my arms folded and watched the two of them have a great time together while the sun warmed my face. I had to admit it was nice when you lived in a part of the country that was cloud cover for the majority of the year.

I was just starting to close my eyes when thirty pounds of dog landed on my chest making me expel all of the air in my lungs. I rolled to my side, coughing, as Bella sat down next to me laughing. That was twice today this dog had crashed into me.

"Oh…my…God…Bear." I gasped as I sat up. Bella laughed next to me. "He really packs a lot of muscle."

"Well, consider his breed mix."

"True,"

Bella curled up next to me on the blanket as Bear got a drink. I could have stayed outside like this with them for the rest of the day. It was my happy place. Unfortunately though, we had to head back after a little while longer. Bear wasn't too pleased since he had been snoozing peacefully in the sun. Bella picked him up and carried him back, letting him curl up on a deck chair in the sun and continue his nap.

Bella headed upstairs to check on Charlie while I scrounged for leftovers to make for lunch. By the time the two of them came back down I had sandwiches ready, one of which Phil had already claimed and took back out in the living room watching his continued football marathon. His grunts of dissatisfaction made me chuckle and reminded me of Emmett.

Charlie went out to join them, adding his own protests to the cacophony Phil was already making at the TV.

"Well, it's good to know they get along." Bella commented as she sat down next to me.

I passed her sandwich. "I think all men find it difficult to not bond over sports."

"What about you?" Bella asked through a bite of turkey.

"I don't watch sports."

"So I suppose that makes you the exception?"

"Suppose so," We shared a smile across the table. Bella wasn't that into sports either.

After lunch Charlie decided it was time to leave. I had never known him to be one to string out goodbyes. It was easier to get it over with sooner rather than later. Like pulling off a band-aid.

Bella walked him out to the cab he had called and I watched as she hugged him goodbye. I waved from the front door, Bear sitting next to me. He whined softly at my feet, his tail wagging back and forth slowly. I could tell he was upset. He had made good friends with Charlie in the last couple of days.

"I can't believe it's going to be almost four months before I get to see him again." Bella remarked sadly as she walked back up to the door.

"Yeah, but he has a girlfriend now to look after him. He'll be ok."

"I know," Bella laid her head on my shoulder. "It just sucks that he lives on the west coast and I live on the east coast now."

I wrapped an arm around her and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. She yawned in my hold, seemingly ready for a nap. Just then her mother's car pulled into the short driveway and she waved out the window.

"Would you two mind helping me bring everything inside?"

It was an ominous question.

Almost an hour later we had everything unpacked and stored away for later wrapping. Renee had really done some damage, but found a lot of good deals. She had even picked up something special for Bear.

He now lay in the living room happily gnawing on his knotted rope, his eyes wide and excited over the prospect of his new toy. "I love this dog." Phil commented as he watched Bear begin to tear little threads from the rope. "He doesn't waste time enjoying himself."

"He's a guy." Bella replied with an obvious tone. "What man doesn't waste time enjoying himself."

I cleared my throat loudly, knowing where her train of thought was going. We were not about to have a sexual conversation in front of her mother and stepfather.

"Anyway," I stated loudly. Bella looked up at me from where she was helping Renee empty the bag.

"How much did you actually buy today?" She asked in amazement.

"Enough, I got everybody's lists done for Christmas and then some. Oh, Phil, you need to get the tree out of the garage."

"Renee, it doesn't have to go up today just because it's the day after Thanksgiving. It can wait a damn week."

"Well, I say it can't. So go get it. You two will help me decorate, right?"

Another ominous question.

By the time dinner rolled around at six, we had the tree decorated and lighted up in the living room. The outside of the house was decorated and Renee was busily putting up festive décor items throughout the rest of the house. Apparently Christmas was her favorite holiday and she was just like every other over eager American who felt the need to celebrate it earlier every year.

I don't know why, but it annoyed me for some reason. Not Renee. I was the kind of person who liked to celebrate one holiday at a time. I mean, it was still November for another six days.

"I am so beat now." I groaned as I collapsed on to Bella's bed. She was in the middle of packing our suitcase since we would be leaving early in the morning.

"Welcome to the world of my mother,"

"I want to go home where things are simpler." I grumbled from under the pillow I had thrown over my face.

"In the morning." Bella reminded me. I heard the suitcase zip shut and she sat down beside me. She removed the pillow and set it back against her headboard. "Want to stay up a little late tonight?" She asked, stroking my chest through my t-shirt. I sat up, she had my attention.

"How late is late?"

"As late as you want. We can always sleep on the flight home."

Tempting…

"Don't say I don't know what makes you happy."

Had I spoken out loud? Whatever. Bella was offering, and I was taking her up on it.

The next morning we both had a hard time getting started. Apparently late was too late since we didn't actually fall asleep until almost 3 and we needed to be up by 7 for our flight.

Bella jumped in the shower first so I could walk Bear and get him packed in his crate. I didn't feed him, but I gave him his sedative on a spoonful of peanut butter. He was passed out by the time we arrived at the airport.

We said goodbye to Renee and Phil and thanked them for having us for Thanksgiving, and that we would see them again at Christmas. Renee bent down to say goodbye to Bear, not that he noticed. They both stood outside and waited until Bella and I waved from inside and we watched them drive off.

After checking the suitcase and dropping Bear off we headed over to wait in line for the security checkpoint. I couldn't believe two days had gone by so quickly. "You don't have anything due tomorrow do you?" I asked Bella as we moved up in the line.

"No, I got everything done before we came down here. You?"

"Nope, so you and me are sleeping away the rest of the weekend."

"Sounds like a great plan." She sighed, leaning heavily into me.

We grabbed some food after passing through security and sat down at our gate to wait to board. Bella passed out this time and I entertained myself with my iPhone trying to get past the most recent level of Angry Birds. I hated the way that the little yellow ducky in the level was smiling at me mockingly, like I would never manage to get all the green pigs.

I woke Bella up when it was time to board. She grumbled at me, but got up and shuffled over to the line. Ten minutes later we were seated and she was passed back out. The flight itself was uneventful. I read the whole time while Bella drifted in and out of consciousness. It made me feel a bit smug that I was the reason for her obvious exhaustion.

After we landed and collected Bear we headed home. Bella sat in the back seat with Bear in her lap. She felt bad that he had had to spend so much time cooped up in a crate over the last couple days and wanted him to have a little freedom, even if he was still confined by the car.

She carried him in, still groggy from the sedative and the flight. He wasn't in need of a walk right away, but he was hungry so we gave him a little food and waited to see if he would keep it down.

I unpacked everything while Bella showered. When she was done I jumped in and she took over laundry duty.

"Hungry?" She asked me when I came out with a towel around my waist, drying my hair off with a smaller towel.

"A bit, but I don't think we have anything."

"I don't want to go out, or go shopping." Bella whined from where she was stuffing clothes into the wash.

"We'll need to eventually." I pointed out, tossing the small towel into the washer just as she was about to shut the door. Bella glanced at me expectantly, eyeing the towel around my waist. "This one's not coming off, sweetheart, sorry."

She frowned and stuck out her lower lip in mock disappointment. I couldn't help but laugh, and headed back to the bedroom to get dressed. When I came out Bella had taken Bear for a quick walk, so I quickly went through the cabinets to determine what would we need to pick up at the store, made a list and waited for Bella to come back.

She grumbled the whole drive to the store, either about being tired, or the store being busy since it was Saturday. It wasn't _that_ busy, and we got a cart quickly. Bella steered it while I threw stuff in.

"Is there anything special you want me to cook this week?" Bella asked as we headed down the international aisle.

"I've been craving your Cajun catfish." I admitted. There was something about the spicy blackening spice she used when she fried the fillets. The fish came out so flaky and tender.

Bella grabbed the necessary items from the shelves and ordered two catfish fillets as we passed the fish counter. We also decided on a seafood soup one night this week as well since I had Tuesday and Thursday free. I loved grocery shopping with Bella. She made it easy being so organized, and it never took her long to find what she was looking for.

When we got to the pet aisle I remembered that we needed more puppy food for Bear and a box of treats for his training sessions. "What days is Maggie coming over this week?" Bella asked as she grabbed a box of puppy MilkBones off the shelf.

"Wednesday and Friday I think. Will you be around?"

"My Wednesday class isn't meeting, so I'll be around that afternoon."

"Then I'll be there Friday."

Bella leaned up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "Love you," She whispered, her smile touching her eyes making them sparkle.

"Love you more."

"Love you most."

It was our thing. I don't remembered when it started. We just began doing it one day and it stuck with us. Each time one of us said 'I love you' the other would respond, 'love you more', and so on.

We finished up the shopping and headed home feeling accomplished. Since it was still early in the afternoon I put the steak we had bought in the fridge to marinate for dinner then helped Bella finish the laundry.

She still had a little work to finish for her Monday class, and so settled down to complete that while I napped on the couch, my head in her lap. It was overall a perfect day for us, and a perfect way to end our Thanksgiving break.


	9. In Which Bear is Trained

**Chapter 9, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

"Ow!"

I looked up from where I sat on the cushion outside the dressing room in the tux shop. Edward, Emmett and Jasper were all behind the curtain being fitted for the wedding. Since Rosalie had not asked me to be in her wedding party Edward had, hesitantly, turned Emmett down when he was asked to be best man. Jasper dutifully stepped in since it was his sister getting married, but Emmett still regarded Edward as his best man regardless. There was no animosity between the three of them, which was nice.

The voice that had shouted in protest was definitely Emmett. If he couldn't stand still long enough for a tailor to stick pins in him, how was he going to make it through his own vows in one month?

For the moment I was sitting alone, waiting for the boys to be done. Alice was out front with Bear for a quick pee. I had been sitting on the bench outside with him waiting for Alice to text me that the boys were done so we could all get some lunch before she and I had to run off for fittings of our own dresses.

When she came out and offered to sit with Bear I quickly took her up on it and ran next door to grab some coffee for us. She agreed to sit outside with Bear until the boys were all done, and I could sit inside where it was warm.

I picked my coffee up off the floor and sipped it slowly. I loved the combination of peppermint and mocha. It was something I looked forward too every December in coffee shops.

I heard some muttering and scuffling behind the curtain, a few choice curse words from Emmett and Edward, and suddenly the red curtain was flung open and all three boys stood there in their wedding garb.

Alice opened the door and poked her head in to get a better look. "Jazz, you look so hot in a tux."

I watched as Edward and Emmett both rolled their eyes at their younger sister.

"Do you have an opinion?" Edward asked me as he fidgeted a little in the fitted dark suit he was wearing.

I let my eyes travel up and down the long lines of his body and a grin slowly spread onto my face before answering him. "I don't think it would be appropriate to voice my opinion in public."

Edward turned to the tailor behind them, "Mine's good." He told him.

"Are you sure? The leg is not too tight?" the tailor asked in return.

"Hey, if she approves, I approve." Edward gestured to me.

"Why don't you try moving in it before you give your final answer." I suggested.

Edward stepped down from the short stand he was on and paced the length of the dressing room. "Yup, its good. Shoes need to be broken in, though."

"Don't worry, you have plenty of time for that."

"I don't really like mine." Emmett whined as he twisted back and forth in front of the mirror. "I'm not into the gray."

"Well, you really don't get to have an opinion." I told him. "Remember who you're marrying."

"True," Emmett agreed. "She's a wedding Nazi right now. Any excuse to get out of the apartment I'm taking it. No, I mean it, Ed, she's fucking scary right now!" Emmett emphasized upon seeing the skeptical look on my fiancé's face.

I giggled from my seat. I could believe it.

"So are we done?" Jasper asked looking at Emmett, his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

"Yeah, we're done." Emmett sighed. "We have to come back in three weeks, though."

"Whatever, just get me out of this monkey-suit." Jasper was starting to literally twitch from being confined in the fancy material. I knew he hated it. Jasper was a very laidback, relaxed individual, and anything that required him dressing up in a fitted piece of clothing made him claustrophobic. Sometimes I wondered how he survived living with Alice.

It was another fifteen minutes of minor adjustments, ten minutes for the guys to get dressed and make the appointment for the next fitting, and we were finally out of there. Emmett whined and groaned about how hungry he was the whole trip to the small café we had picked for lunch.

"So, explain to me why I need to have my dress tailored if I'm not even in the party?" I asked Alice as we took seats outside since we had Bear with us. The boys went in to order.

"Did you see the way that dress hung on you in the store? It's a beautiful color, Bella, but it needs some work."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I sat there in silence waiting for the guys to bring food out.

"Well, at least you're honest about it." I muttered a few minutes later, taking a spoonful my soup.

Edward reached over and placed his hand on top of him.

"Think of it this way, Bella." Alice added a moment late. I rolled my eyes. "You want to try and be as stunning, if not just minutely more so than Rosalie."

"Why would I want to incur Rosalie's wrath on her wedding day by attempting to look more stunning than she will? Not that there would be any competition."

"You haven't seen her dress." Alice whispered to me so Emmett wouldn't hear. He was deep in conversation with Jasper anyway to take any notice. "It's a monstrosity of puff and lace, something I would never have picked for her. But she wanted fancy, and she certainly got it. And it surprises me that she would choose something like that considering she was a fashion major. Your dress is simple, elegant, and just plain gorgeous."

"Thank you, Alice."

"Does that mean I get to see it?" Edward asked as he wiped his mouth off from the particularly large bite of sandwich he had taken.

"No," Alice and I said at once.

After lunch Emmett headed back to his apartment to report on how his fitting went and then he and Rosalie were heading out to choose their wedding menu at the venue. I'm hoping when it comes time for Edward and I to start making decisions it's not as complicated. I know I don't want a huge fancy wedding, however I didn't know Edward's feelings.

"I don't want a huge wedding either, Bella."

I guess I spoke that part out loud. Oh well.

"It's scary to think about, having to stand up in front of so many people." Jasper shuddered at his comment. "Alice, do us both a favor and keep it small." Alice pouted. "No more than 100 guests, ok?"

"Fine,"

"Alice, please."

I glanced at Edward who looked to Alice and Jasper. Did we miss something?

"Did he ask you?" I accused.

"Not yet, but we talk about wedding stuff all the time."

"She's already got her entire party picked out and the decorations." Jasper went on. "I keep telling her wait until I put a ring on her finger, but she just keeps plowing on ahead."

"Well, that takes all of the surprise out of it." Edward commented dryly about Jasper's future proposal.

"I know he's going to ask me, I just don't know when or how. I want the surprise, but the anticipation of waiting for it to happen makes it better."

"Whatever blows your skirt up, Alice." She stuck her tongue out at me.

When we arrived at the bridal salon, Edward stayed outside so Bear could pee, then put him in his crate in the car where he quickly fell asleep. He cracked the back windows for him and locked the car.

We made the boys wait outside in the sitting area while Alice and I disappeared behind the thick white curtain to put our dresses on. Alice had brought mine over the day I bought it and told the ladies to hold it for the Cullen-Hale wedding.

I slid the silky material over my head letting it fall naturally around my body. I borrowed Alice's shoulder for support while I stepped into my shoes and got up on the short pedestal.

She was immediately in a flurry of motion around me with the tailor, talking about the hemline and where the dress needed to taken in around the waist and bust. I just stood there and let Alice do the talking.

"Bella, would you be opposed to wearing a corset under the dress?" She asked me at one point.

"Say no!" I heard Edward call from the other side of the curtain, followed by some chuckling on his and Jasper's part.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Nothing fancy, just something to give you smooth lines." She elaborated. I nodded my head, knowing I was more than likely signing my own death sentence. "Good, you and Edward are coming early to get dressed at the hotel with us, right?"

"If you want us to, Alice."

"No, trust me. Come. I'll help you get ready." Her excitement was more than enough to make me agree. She was just so happy, and it wasn't even her wedding.

Once the alterations were done on my dress, I changed back into my regular clothes and helped Alice slip into her bridesmaid dress. Rosalie had decided to change from her initial pick of lavender to a deep red. It was much more appropriate for the season and Alice looked killer in the color. The dress itself was a halter top with a tight bodice and skirt that hung straight to the floor but didn't hug the legs. It was a beautiful cut.

"I look so short, though." Alice twisted back and forth for a moment on the pedestal.

Anna, the seamstress, moved around Alice pulling the hem of the dress down a little. "Your heels more than make up for the height difference. But if you would like we can cut some material away to show a little leg."

"I'll have to ask, Rose." Alice muttered. She actually looked unsure about whether or not to do it. "I don't think she'll object."

I shrugged, not knowing what to say. If I was Alice, I would just have the dress changed, damn the consequences with Rosalie.

I headed out to sit with Edward and Jasper while Alice finished behind the curtain. I was careful to slip out so I didn't reveal Alice, although I could see Jasper craning his head as he tried to get a glimpse of her.

I smacked him upside the head as I sat down. "Don't spoil it for yourself."

"I don't think it's very fair that you get to see us in our suits before the wedding but we don't get to see your dresses."

"I could care less if Edward sees my dress," I help my hand up to stop him as he opened his mouth, "but Alice strictly told me that you were not allowed to even know the color." Edward snapped his mouth shut and let his head fall into his hands, clearly disappointed.

Alice came out from behind the curtain about fifteen minutes later both dresses safely zipped away in opaque bags where they hung for the moment on hooks inside the room. She made appointments for the two of us to come back in three weeks for another fitting and we all headed out.

"Shit," Edward cursed looking at his watch. "We need to get back to the apartment, Maggie will be there in fifteen minutes for Bear's session today." Because we had been having a busy week we had switched Bear's usual Friday lesson to Saturday since we would both be around.

Bear was still asleep in his crate when we got in my car, which was good, he would be rested for his training when we got back. I took him for a quick pee walk outside at the apartment while Edward picked up vacuumed.

Maggie arrived promptly on time and greeted Bear with a hug, but only once he had sat down and not jumped. Today's lesson was learning to lie down. Maggie worked with Bear and I first, going over the previous lessons and making sure he still remembered the basic commands.

She then told me to put Bear's leash on him and stand to the side. "This is one of the most difficult commands to teach a dog, especially a male dog. Lying down is a prone position for them, which they never want to be in. You want to tell him 'down' at the same time that you step on the leash enough to begin pulling him to the floor." She explained slowly.

Maggie took the leash and demonstrated first, telling Bear 'down' at the same time she stepped down the leash gently creating a pull on the lead around Bear's neck. The pull forced him down into lying position so he was on his belly. The force in Maggie's voice was enough for him to know he was being commanded and he looked down as Maggie gently encouraged him into the position.

"Just like I did, slow, but gentle. You don't want to hurt him or scare him. Then he'll become resistant and eventually he won't listen to you at all. And we don't want that." She handed me the leash.

"Down," I repeated, forcefully but not harshly. I stepped on the leash creating the same tension that pulled Bear down into the lying position. Edward watched from the couch as Bear resisted at first, but I kept repeating 'down', creating more and more tension by pulling the lead with the leash until Bear finally lay on his stomach.

He sat back up almost immediately. "No," Maggie commanded gently, and she had me step on the leash until Bear was lying down once more. After a few more tries Bear was taking to the new command well, and Maggie had Edward and I switch places.

Bear resisted at first with Edward, just as he had with me, but within a minute or two he had Bear laying on his stomach. We continued to work with him for another half hour or so. We repeated the 'heel' command, leading Bear around the apartment on his leash and telling him to heel at periodic points.

Maggie introduced another aspect to the heel command, adding 'sit'. Edward worked with Bear first for about ten minutes until he was listening to the dual command of 'heel, sit' and was completing them without failure.

After my turn Maggie gave Bear a few treats so he knew he was good. The whole point of his training was about positive reinforcement, and we followed it every day as we worked with him. We set up the next appointment with Maggie for Monday since we would busy finishing up the semester.

"I actually can't wait to get back down to Florida." Edward sighed as he dropped down onto the couch once Maggie had left. Bear hopped up between us, settling so his butt was facing Edward, and his head was in my lap. "Thanks pal, I see how it is."

"Actually, when a dog lays down with his butt facing you, it means he trusts you."

"Well, I don't trust him. Or his butt, for that matter."

We both laughed out loud at Edward's comment, knowing it had to do with Bear's potent puppy gas.

"So what are we getting him for Christmas?" I asked once we stopped laughing.

"I was thinking about some really tough toys for him to chew on, and a bigger bed."

"Ok, sounds good. I'll let your mom know, she was bugging me the other day about what we all wanted for Christmas."

"I hope you told her I don't want anything."

"Not exactly." I grimaced slightly when Edward faced me with a petrified expression.

"Oh God, she's going to get me sweaters, I can feel it now."

"No, I actually told her to get you something useful for medical school, but if you would rather I call her back and say you want sweaters, I can do that."

"No, please don't." Edward held both hands up, speaking quickly as if to stop me.

"I would never do that to you, baby. _I_ would get you the fun sweaters."

If it were possible, Edward now looked even more petrified. Ah, the holidays. I love them. Such fun comes in teasing about the gifts you can get one another.


	10. Home for the Holidays

**Chapter 10, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

With a few days to go before Christmas my parents had decided to take the entire family out since this year Bella and I would be spending the holiday in Florida with her mother and stepfather, and Alice and Jasper would be going away for the weekend. Only Rosalie and Emmett would be around, and it was more so to discuss last minute wedding details.

Just last week Jasper, Emmett, and I had gone back to check the fittings on our suits. Everything was great and we were in and out in twenty minutes with an appointment to come back the day before the wedding. Bella had also gone back to have the fitting for her dress checked. Only this time, Rosalie had been there with her and Alice, and had apparently caused a scene when she remarked on the fit of Bella's dress, the hem of it, the cut. Just the dress overall.

It wasn't polite for Bella's dress to be prettier than Rosalie's, and Rosalie had practically ordered Bella to pick out a new dress. Or so I understood. She even had something to say about the corset Bella would be wearing as well as her shoes. Alice confided in me later on that day that Rosalie was envious of how pretty Bella really was, and how obviously gorgeous she looked in her dress.

None of it made any sense to me, and I suspected that Alice was making excuses for Rose, but I suspected that at least some part of that may have been true. Bella came back from the appointment, threw her dress bag down on the couch and collapsed next to it, leaning forward so her face was covered by her arms and her hands were buried in her hair.

I left her alone for a minute or two so some of the obvious frustration would dissipate before I attempted to talk to her. Bella initiated the conversation about her afternoon and ranted for nearly twenty straight minutes about how she was _this close_ to not even going to the wedding now. The expensive gift we had picked out be damned. She would just keep it for us.

I calmed her down and then cooked us dinner. Bella was still too angry later that night to get any of her work done, and was still contemplating sending Emmett an email confirming that she was no longer attending the wedding. Instead she finished off the bottle of white wine we had opened at dinner, sitting with me on the couch drinking straight from the bottle.

And so it was with a certain degree of dread ten days later that she walked beside me into the hotel where the wedding would be taking place, though we were heading for the restaurant inside for dinner with my family. Bella had dressed simply in a black sweater dress with a red belt and red flats. I had chosen my only pair of gray dress pants and a blue shirt.

We were a little early, but Alice and Jasper were already here, sitting at the bar. She was sipping slowly on a green martini, Jasper was nursing a beer. Bella sat down on a stool and quickly ordered what Alice was drinking, while I declined alcohol for now.

"Are you still mad?" Alice asked Bella. She accepted her green martini and took a sip.

"A teensy bit. But I'm over it." She leaned on her elbow, balancing her head in the palm of her hand.

"You're not going to change your dress are you?" Alice asked sounding a little worried.

"No, of course not. I don't care what Rosalie says. But she was being so…non-Rosalie for a while."

"You mean she was being nice." I clarified.

"She wasn't like how she is now. I like her, and I think she's a great person and she's very smart, but…"

"She's being a total self-centered bitch right now." Jasper muttered as he sipped his beer.

Alice smacked his arm lightly. "You shouldn't say that about your sister."

"You're not related to her."

Bella shrugged and sipper her drink. She was done with the conversation for now. A few minutes later, Rosalie, Emmett, and my parents arrived and we all headed over to our booth in the corner of the restaurant.

"You look very pretty, Bella." Esme complemented her as Bella sat down. I pushed her seat in then took mine next to her. I grabbed her hand under the table, holding it securely in my lap.

"Thank you, Esme. I just threw this on since we were running tight on time today."

I knew it was a lie. Bella had had plenty of time to get ready, and had actually spent an entire hour picking out what she would wear tonight, just so she wouldn't give Rosalie any reason to bring up the conversation from last week.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Rosalie was actually eyeing Bella as she talked to my mother about her outfit and how it was nothing really special. That was when I noticed that Rosalie had put on the diamond necklace that Emmett had gotten her for Christmas a few years ago. I hadn't seen her wear it since that day. I had no idea what was going through her mind, but I assumed she was feeling uncomfortable with the puffy dress she would be wearing soon for her trip down the aisle.

In an attempt to avoid any confrontation, Bella remained locked in conversation with Jasper and I throughout dinner. Bella picked at her shrimp pasta without eating it. I noticed she was working her way through her second martini rather quickly, and so I offered her the garlic bread from my plate just to make sure she had something in her stomach.

As dessert was being served, I noticed Rosalie didn't even acknowledge hers, Emmett turned to me for the first time that night. "So what are you two planning on doing with Bear for the day?" he asked. I hadn't been expecting that, and honestly Bella and I hadn't really discussed it. We knew there was no one to take him, and that was going to be difficult since we would be out of the house from the morning until late in the evening.

I looked to Bella, who just shrugged because she had no clue either what we would be doing about Bear. "We haven't really thought about it. Why?" she asked.

"I was going to offer that you guys bring him. The hotel is animal friendly, and I'm sure he would be able to sit with you."

Bella seemed a little taken aback by Emmett's suggestion, as was I, but she quickly responded, "Well, we'll have to get him a proper suit." Bella teased, smiling genuinely for the first time tonight.

"I don't want a dog at my wedding." Rosalie suddenly interrupted in a hushed whisper.

Emmett leaned over to her and I heard him say, "It's my wedding too, Rose. And what are they supposed to do? Bear is still a puppy he can't be left alone for that amount of time."

"I don't care, I don't want a dog at the wedding."

Bella sighed loudly. I could feel the anger rolling off of her in waves right now. She took her napkin off her lap and placed it on the table. "How about I just stay home?" She asked, looking at me. "That way Bear won't be a bother to anyone," she glanced at Rosalie, "and it won't look like we're trying to show anyone up." I knew that last part had to do with her dress and the commotion Rosalie had caused about it.

Bella then stood up and excused herself politely before walking briskly off toward the lobby of the hotel. I got up quickly after, but not before glaring at Rosalie, and walked off in the same direction. I could feel both of my parents' eyes on me, burning a hole into my back. But I kept walking. They had been far enough down the table to not hear anything, and were most likely confused right now by our swift departures.

Bella was sitting out in the main lobby in one of the plush, wingback chairs, leaning forward with her head in her hands. "Hey," I crouched down in front of her and took her hands.

"I'm sorry, Edward. That was so rude, but I just couldn't take her attitude anymore."

"Don't worry about it. Honestly, I think you handled it in the most mature way possible."

She looked up at me sheepishly, obviously ashamed from having walked out. If I were her I would have done the same thing. Maybe not quite so politely, but I would have essentially stormed out as well. And I had been about to when Bella got up and did it first.

"Do you want to go?" I asked her after a few moments of silence had passed.

"Yes…no. How can I go back in there?"

"Just say you needed a few minutes. It's not really a lie."

"I suppose not." Bella sighed. She got up and took my hand as we walked back inside the restaurant.

Bella apologized for leaving for so long and sat back down as though nothing had happened. The rest of dessert passed peacefully. Rosalie sat silent in her seat, glaring at me. I saw Emmett reach over and place his hand in her lap a couple of times and she would look away.

As we were finally leaving my mom pulled me aside and asked what had happened. "Bella seemed upset right before she left. Did Rosalie say something?"

"If I promise to call you can I tell you tomorrow?"

"Of course," She gave me a quick hug then let me go.

Bella was waiting for me out in the lobby, my coat in her hand. We walked back to the car in silence, both of us mulling over what a disaster the evening had been.

"Do you want anything to drink?" She asked as she walked into the kitchen ahead of me when we got home.

"No, I'm ok right now."

I heard her walk into the bedroom and start taking her clothes off. I was keen to follow and see if we could get up to any fun. I didn't know if Bella was in the mood, however. From what I could gauge in the car she was either still angry, or still embarrassed.

"Edward, are you coming to bed?" She called out as I hesitated to follow her.

"Just a minute." I called back. I grabbed Bear's leash from beside the door so I could take him for a quick walk.

I locked the door when we got back, turned off all the lights in the front and made sure Bear had water in his bowl before heading to the bedroom. Bella was already laying down facing my side. I couldn't tell if she was asleep or not so I didn't disturb her.

It would be better if she slept off the whole night. Waking up tomorrow after tossing and turning wouldn't help since we needed to be up to make an early flight down to Florida. I got dressed and slipped in next to her as easily as I could and turned the light off. I kept one arm around her the whole night, smiling as she snuggled up to me, tucking her head under my chin.

The wait the next morning was mercifully short. We made our way through check in and security within a half hour and were seated and waiting for our flight with plenty of time to spare.

We were both wide-awake this time, sipping on coffee and munching on the bagels we bought for breakfast. Bella was worried about Bear once again and how the flight may affect him. If he was fine the last time, he would be fine this time. The flight itself felt short as well. Bella spent about twenty minutes going over her Christmas list and making sure she had everyone covered, just in case she needed to do a little last minute Christmas shopping in Florida.

I finished the last of my medical school applications then tucked them safely away in my backpack to mail when we got back home. Renee and Phil were waiting at the pickup outside when we arrived, Bear in tow. He was still sound asleep when we got back to the house, so I took him upstairs and left the crate door open but shut the bedroom door. Renee had set up the kennel for us once again just in case we needed it.

"So how was the flight this time around?" She asked as we all sat out on the back deck with some iced coffees and sandwiches for lunch.

"Better than last time, since it was a later flight. Thank you for taxiing us. I hate making you drive all the way to the airport and back like that."

Renee reached over and patted her daughter's knee, "Don't worry about it, honey. I'm your mother. It's my job."

I yawned and stretched my arms out then folded them behind my head. "I am so glad the semester is finally over. Only one more to go and then we graduate. Feels weird."

"Yeah, it does." Bella agreed.

"I can't believe you're both graduating already," Phil sighed, "I remember dropping Bella off on campus three years ago like it was yesterday."

Renee turned to her husband with a nostalgic look in her eyes, "Feels that way, doesn't it?"

According to Bella's mother Christmas was going to be quiet this year. Just the family. I was looking forward to the peace and quiet. I wanted to be able to spend some time alone with Bella, something we had not been able to do for several weeks. But now that the semester was over, the holiday craze was finished, and Emmett and Rose's wedding practically upon us, we could relax for the first time since Thanksgiving and just be with each other.

And Bear of course. I would never forget Bear.

Bella and I spent the evening watching TV in the living room, Bear on the floor in front of us. Renee and Phil were out getting a few last minute items for dinner on Christmas, and to do some last minute shopping. We had the house to ourselves for a little while.

A little while was all we needed.

**BPOV**

Considering that we were spending Christmas with my mom, right now it was very relaxing. But as soon as Edward whispered in my ear, I leapt up from the couch and grabbed his hand pulling him behind me as we headed upstairs to my room.

I didn't know when Renee and Phil would be back, but we would be quiet. It didn't take us long to get our clothes off. We were a little pent up from the stress of the last few days and the holiday madness. It had been a little over a week since the last time we had had sex, and I was feeling a touch desperate.

Edward went slow, being the considerate lover he always was. Knowing it wasn't about the instant gratification we could bring each other, but about taking advantage of every moment together. It wasn't explosive in terms of force, but more emotions. We moved together perfectly, two pieces made to fit each other and no one else.

Afterward we lay in bed together facing each other, caressing gently and trading kisses every few seconds. Edward was whispering about tomorrow, Christmas Eve. I was too hypnotized by the sound of his voice to actually make out the words he was speaking. It was soothing just to listen to him, the familiar velvet lilt that I had always found so comforting.

By the time we finally ventured back downstairs, my mom and Phil had returned. Renee was throwing together some dinner really fast and Phil was enjoying his typical pastime in front of the TV.

"Napping?" Renee asked as I walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, napping." I agreed with her. Edward threw me a look as he grabbed a soda from the fridge then headed out into the living room, Bear close on his heels.

"So have you and Edward started thinking about a date yet?" Renee asked once my fiancé was entirely out of earshot.

"No, we haven't started thinking about anything more than six months away from now."

"You should, just in case there was somewhere special you wanted to get married. You know there are places that you have to book years in advance."

I sighed dramatically, trying to get Renee to understand that I didn't want to have this conversation now.

"Bella, I'm not trying to pressure you. I just don't want you two to wait so long that you don't feel its necessary. I would like to see my only daughter get married. And I'm sure your father wants to walk you down the aisle."

"More like run," I muttered under my breath. If there was one thing Charlie hated, it was public displays of affection or emotion. So I was sure the thought of slowly parading me down an aisle with tears streaming down both our faces was not high on his priority list, and he would want to get it over with as soon as possible.

"And I just don't want for you two to wait forever to have your babies."

"Oh, how did I know that was coming?" I exclaimed loudly, throwing my hands up in exasperation.

The next day passed by quickly, only because Edward and I managed to go out and keep busy, and steer clear of my mother, whom I was sure was stalking me to try and continue the conversation we had been having in the kitchen. We went back to Dog Daze and used the coupon for a free pet meal that had been given to us on black Friday last month. Bear enjoyed himself immensely, and we had our picture taken again. This time Bear got to wear the reindeer antlers.

We woke up Christmas morning with Bear lying between us on his back, all four legs in the air, and snoring. Well, at least he was comfortable. Edward and I made breakfast while Renee took Bear out for a quick walk and fed him. We opened presents next, not that there was much between the four of us.

I got my mom and Phil a certificate to their favorite restaurant so they could go on a date night. Edward had found a really pretty pair of hand blown glass earrings for my mom and some apparel for Phil supporting his favorite team.

From both of them Edward and I received some practical gifts for school, and plane tickets we were told that were to be used in the summer so we could come visit for however long we wanted. I hadn't been sure this year what to get Edward personally, and I knew it was a presumptuous gift, but it showed how much I supported him and how much faith I had in him.

As he unwrapped the frame, a look of confusion crossed his face. "What is this for? My diploma?"

"No, your acceptance letter in to medical school."

His arms wrapped around me so fast I didn't even see him close the space between us. Then his lips were on mine in a searing kiss that I didn't think was appropriate for in front of the parents, but I let him kiss me anyway because it felt so damn good.

"Thank you," he whispered when we finally parted, our foreheads still touching.

I glanced back at my mom sheepishly. She smiled back shaking her head. I suppose she wasn't as shocked by Edward's reaction as I had thought she would be. I watched as she patted Phil on his knee and motioned for him to follow as she got up.

Once we were alone Edward reached into his pocket and pulled a small black jewelry box. I had a feeling I knew what it was. Shortly after we had gotten engaged Edward had bought me a silver bracelet with a an engagement ring charm on it to commemorate his proposal. After we got back from our stay in the Caribbean he presented me with a palm tree charm. On my birthday he gave me a cupcake charm.

I took the small box from his hand and flipped the lid open. Inside lay a dog bone charm.

"For Bear's first Christmas." Edward explained as he took the charm from the box and then my wrist. He slipped the charm onto the bracelet with a smile. We spent the afternoon watching Christmas movies on TV with Bear keeping us company while my mom and Phil worked on dinner together in the kitchen.

We packed that night to head back up north since we would be leaving in the morning. I was excited to be spending New Years' with Edward's family. Alice and Jasper would be spending the night as well. Rose and Emmett were staying with her family at her mother's insistence since as soon as the wedding was over she knew her daughter would not be around as much.

Rosalie and Emmett had just gotten a small house together and were going to be moving in next week. Edward had offered to help since he was still feeling a little guilty for turning Emmett down as his best man. I volunteered myself as well, still trying to be civil with Rosalie. It was not an ideal way to spend a week of our Christmas break, but it was polite. I'm hoping as soon as all of the wedding madness is over Rosalie will no longer be so much of a nightmare.

"I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of crazies in the airport." Edward commented the next morning on the plane as he sipped the small cup of coffee he'd asked for.

I turned the page in my book, "It _was_ nice and quiet wasn't it?" Edward placed a cup of coffee down in front of me with a small croissant. Sometimes I wished full meals were available on flights. I could really go for some scrambled eggs right now.

I sipped my coffee. "Would you be willing to cook me some breakfast when we get back?"

"We're going straight to my parents' house remember? I'm sure my mom will have something prepared."

"Hopefully that breakfast casserole with the potatoes and sausage and eggs." I licked my lips as I sipped my coffee.

"Somebody's getting her period soon."

I had half a mind to reach into my carry on and check my pills, but I knew Edward was right. "And how do you know that?"

"You only crave foods like that when you're getting your period."

Amazingly, he was right. But then again we had been living together for almost two years now and we'd been together for four years. I might have been worried if he never noticed things like that.

Once the plane landed we didn't have to wait that long to taxi into the gate and disembark. I was glad to have my feet on solid ground again. And even happier to have Bear back. He slept through the whole ride to Edward's parents' house, finally waking up once we got him inside. He made his rounds, greeting everyone that was there, and took up a spot in the living room with the new toy Esme had just given him.

"I can't believe how big he's getting." She commented as Edward and I sat down at the table with the rest of the family present. Alice and Jasper were staying here for Christmas and New Year's while Emmett and Rose were staying with her parents for the holidays. "How old is he now?"

"Eight months." Edward answered through a mouthful of breakfast. It earned him a tap on the hand from his mother and a look from me. "He's calmed down a lot, which has helped with his training. He's almost done with it."

"While we're on the subject of Bear," Carlisle started from his seat at the head of the table, "I understand that Emmett invited you to bring him to the hotel for the wedding, and…a small argument ensued."

I felt a hot blush creep into my cheeks and I put my fork and knife down before looking up from my plate. I didn't know if I should feel embarrassed or not, but I did. "That would be partially my fault,"

"It's not your fault at all, Bella. Emmett invited you and Edward to bring Bear along, which is perfectly fine with the rest of us, and Rosalie…" Esme paused, unsure of how to finish her statement.

"Rosalie is under the impression that's its all about her right now. And it's not. It's not just her day, and Emmett told her that." Edward stated, standing up for his brother, "It's his day too, and he said that if we wanted to bring Bear, we could. And we are, right?" He asked, looking at me.

I nodded, but didn't say anything. I still hadn't officially taken back what I had said at dinner that night, about no longer coming to the wedding. I was intending to go, but I hadn't contacted Emmett yet to apologize.

"And even if Bella didn't want to bring Bear, I would still have to make her go." Alice piped up, killing the awkward silence that had settled across the table. "You're not wasting that dress." She directed at me with a wink.

The week leading up to New Year's was quiet. We spent a lot of time with Alice and Jasper, catching up since the four of us hadn't hung out together in a few weeks. Alice wanted to talk wedding most of the time, and not just Rosalie and Emmett's. She peppered me with unending questions about my own wedding. I answered her honestly saying that Edward and I hadn't really put much thought into it. We hadn't even picked a date yet. We weren't in any rush.

Since Jasper would be graduating in the spring with Edward and I the two of them began talking a lot about medical school. They had applied to different ones, considering that they would both be going into different fields of study, and on some days the two of them spent a few hours with Carlisle in his office to talk and ask questions.

On New Year's Eve I helped Esme with all of the cooking for dinner while Alice went out with Jasper and Edward to get the alcohol. She and Jasper had been invited to a few parties tonight to ring in the New Year, but they would be back by midnight to celebrate with us.

I couldn't believe this year was already ending. To me it felt like it had just started. So much had happened in the last twelve months, and felt as though it had happened in the blink of an eye. The highlight of my year was accepting Edward's proposal. I knew it was the highlight of his as well.

I had no idea what was going to happen in the upcoming year, but I was going to go in to it with a positive attitude. So long as I had Edward by my side I knew everything would always be all right.


	11. In Which Elevators Are Slow

**Chapter 11, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

Today was certainly going to be interesting. In six hours my brother would be married. It was boggling to my mind to think of my older brother as married. I had always known him as immature, just a big kid who never took responsibility seriously. But in the last couple years he had grown up significantly, maturing more than I had myself.

It was most definitely going to be an interesting day today.

It was almost ten in the morning. Bella and I had been up for a couple hours, making phone calls to my parents, Alice, and the hotel. We had double and triple checked to make sure it was all right to bring Bear, and had been reassured by Alice, my mother, and several staff members helping with the wedding today that having Bear in attendance was perfectly fine, and that they also provided a special service for doggy day care should it be needed. I was considering it only to avoid confrontation, not because I was expecting Bear to misbehave.

"We have to leave soon," Bella announced as she walked from the bathroom, wrapped in her robe and drying her hair with a towel. A cloud of steam followed her, twisting in the air and disappearing as hot, wet air met the slightly lower temperature of our bedroom. "I need to be there by eleven-thirty so the crew of stylists that Alice recruited can get to work."

I let my eyes wander over to the closet door where two garment bags hung. One of them contained my suit, the other Bella's dress. "Do I get to see you before the wedding?"

"You're escorting me to my seat, I would hope you get to see me. Oh," Bella nodded as realization dawned on her, "You want to catch me in the corset before the dress goes on."

"The thought had crossed my mind." It had been clouding my thoughts all morning, wondering exactly what it was she was going to be wearing under the dress I still had yet to lay eyes on.

"Well, you'll find out tonight after the wedding. We are staying the night at the hotel right?"

"My parents already booked us a room for the night. I plan on indulging in copious amounts of alcohol this evening, so staying tonight is probably a good idea."

Bella just shook her head at me and pulled on some casual clothes to travel to the hotel in. We packed up Bear a few minutes later and got our shared suitcase for the one night stay.

"I just thought of something." I said on the drive over. "Is Bear going to be naked, or do we have something to dress him in?"

"Alice said she was taking care of that." I'm taking Bear with me to the salon so he can get a bath and grooming."

I shuddered internally to think of what my sister had in store for my poor puppy. I feared for his pride if what I was currently thinking of turned out to be what actually happened.

Once we arrived at the hotel Bella took and headed off to 'become beautified' as she put it. Of course, I didn't know how the stylists were going to be able to improve on everything she already had. The comment earned me a steamy kiss and a promise for a sneak peek. Maybe.

I didn't have much to do until around 2 pm, so I headed off to check Bella, Bear, and myself in and go up to the room to unpack. Thirty minutes later I was done and wondering what I could do next when there was a knock on the door followed by Emmett and Jasper's voices.

"You settled in yet?" Emmett asked sticking his head in the room and glancing around. "Where the dog?"

"Downstairs with Bella."

"In the salon?" Jasper asked incredulously. "Oh, I bet Rosalie loves that."

"I don't give a fuck what she likes and doesn't like." I muttered. Emmett scowled at me, and I apologized, but he at least agreed with me that Rosalie's reaction to Bear being here today was uncalled for.

"You should see the little dog suit Alice picked out for him to wear today." Jasper commented as we walked down the hall toward the elevators.

"I don't want to know."

"It's not that bad actually."

"I still don't want to know."

We headed downstairs and to the bar where other family members who had already arrived were mingling. Emmett took his time to walk around and greet everyone and thank them as he was congratulated over and over again. Jasper and I hung out nursing our beers while we waited for Emmett to join us. It was his and Rosalie's day today, and I wasn't about to get in the way, but these were his last few hours of freedom, I didn't expect him to waste them.

"So what's the plan for the next couple hours?" I asked once Emmett joined us. He took the beer offered to him by the bartender and enjoyed a long pull before answering us.

"I thought we could just hang out, you know. I don't know how much I'm going to get to see you guys after today. There's a lunch reception at 12:30, but I thought it would be better if we went out, just the three of us and dad and did our own thing."

"Where did you have in mind?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"Well, here, since I'm on 'house arrest' by the bride. I am not allowed to leave to building, and mom agrees. She knows how distracted I get. So…"

"So we stay here and do whatever the hell we want." Jasper offered.

Doing whatever the hell we wanted turned out to be sequestering ourselves in the game room off of the bar and playing pool for two hours straight with our dad joining us around 12:30. We had already ordered bar food for lunch and were happily consuming it when Carlisle arrived.

I could tell he had been subjected to the menu that Rosalie had planned with Alice, since she was so concerned with her wedding dress fitting, as Bella had informed me after seeing the menu for herself, it was strictly vegetarian for the luncheon.

"I saw Bella while I was in there, and she asked me if there was any way that I could have some 'real' food delivered to her in the spa."

"I'll do it." I offered quickly.

Emmett chuckled in the corner as he sipped his third beer. My dad offered to take my place around the pool table until I got back and even made the snarky comment of trying to fix the mess I had made with my own pool balls.

I grabbed together some of the greasy bar food we had ordered and had it wrapped up for Bella in a basket then headed off to the spa. When I walked in I was assaulted with the combined smell of nail polish, hair spray, and many other products. I almost gagged and had to sniff the basket of goodies to clear my head.

Bella was situated far down the line, Bear in the seat next to her curled up and sleeping. She was deeply engrossed in a novel, her long, brown hair done up in hot curlers for the moment, and cotton wedged between her freshly painted toenails.

"I come bearing gifts of sustenance." I announced as I walked over to her. I watched as Alice hopped up as I passed, catching the smell of wings from the basket.

"Oh thank God," Bella walked over to me, careful not to mess up her toes as she did so. Bear picked his head up as well, also catching a whiff of the food. "I'm starving, thank you." Bella leaned up and kissed me gratefully before we sat down.

"Can I steal something? I need protein." Alice asked as she walked over. Her short hair was pinned up in curls and she also had wads of cotton between her toes. How did women stand that sensation?

I offered Alice the basket and after taking a couple small pieces of chicken fingers, she settled back in her seat to pick the breading off before eating the meat underneath.

I offered some food to Rosalie, but she just turned her nose up and returned her attention to the plate of raw vegetables in her lap. "Emmett says hi, by the way."

That got her attention, and Rosalie looked up in horror checking to see if Emmett was trying to sneak in. When she saw that he wasn't lurking in any corners she relaxed back in her seat waiting for the stylist to come over and finish.

Bella and I talked in between feeding Bear bits of the food I had brought. Alice chipped in here and there when she could, when she didn't have to remain perfectly still in her chair. Bella was more than satisfied once she had a full stomach and seemed much more "chill" according to Alice, who said she had been a 'bitchy mess' the whole morning.

"I can't wait for all of this to be over." Bella whispered to me as I got up to go.

"Me either, and I can't wait to see you in a little bit."

"Same here, although I've already seen you in your suit."

"And I still don't understand why I can't see your dress."

"Because, dear brother," Alice turned to face us in her chair, "It will take away from the effect. I planned everything to perfection, and that includes Bella. Now out," Alice leapt from her chair and proceeded to shoo me from the spa. I got the evil eye from not only Rosalie but all of her bridesmaids as well.

Apparently I had breached a taboo subject around here. I winked at Bella before finally leaving and headed back to the bar. Jasper, Emmett, and my father were all where I had left them. Perhaps a little more buzzed (except my dad), but generally in the same area. Jasper was currently laughing his head off in the corner as Emmett bent over the pool table trying to line up his stick for a shot, but kept slipping.

"I think its time we all head off to get changed," my dad announced clapping Emmett on the back. The statement was meant primarily for him, hopefully to help sober him up just a little bit.

I was feeling fine myself, having eaten quite a bit and since I had stepped out I wasn't drinking as much as the other two. As the time ticked closer to show time, Emmett began expressing nerves, and I was just plain antsy to see Bella.

"You're going to bust the zipper on your pants if you don't calm yourself before the ceremony starts." Jasper whispered to me.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to see her in this dress? How much your girlfriend has been tormenting me?"

"You mean your sister?" Jasper quipped back, trying to tie his tie properly without looking.

My dad looked up when Jasper started cursing the material off, and stepped over to help. "Jasper, stop, you're driving me crazy." He pushed Jasper's hands out of the way and within thirty seconds had it perfect.

I needed Bella. She did my tie up better than my dad.

**BPOV**

I was never more relieved to put a dress on in my life. I had spent the better part of the last five hours sitting in a chair while my toenails were painted, my fingernails were buffed and polished, my hair curled, and Alice prodded me with about five different tools to put my makeup on.

As the soft, blue material slid over my head I sighed, so happy to be out of that chair and moving my legs. It had been almost like a brief vacation from the madness of the spa when Edward showed up. I had decided to check out the luncheon around one only because I was starving. I had not been expecting it to be diet.

And so when I spotted Carlisle across the room also looking less than thrilled, I implored him to please send Edward over with real food as soon as possible. After our impromptu picnic, I was settled back down in my chair by Alice and told to sit still while the stylist finished my hair.

And now, two hours later, here I was standing in front of the mirror in my room putting the finishing touches on my dress before I headed downstairs to find Edward and our seats.

"Come on, Bear." I called him as I grabbed my little clutch. Alice had picked out an actual dog suit for Bear, and I felt a little bad for him, but he was beyond cute so I could overlook it. For now. I was sure Edward would never forgive his sister for dressing up his beloved dog in a puppy tux.

I kept Bear on his black leash the whole way down and as I made my way to the room where the wedding itself was taking place. Edward was waiting outside the door for me, leaning back and forth on his feet, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. As soon as he heard the click of my heels on the tile floor he looked up, his jaw dropping. I knew my dress was going to have that effect on him, or perhaps he was shocked by Bear. I preferred to think it was me.

"Holy fu-"

I rushed over the last few steps and clapped my hand over Edward's mouth just before he could finish that statement. I nodded toward where Jasper was escorting his three little nieces into the room.

"Oops," he smiled at once I removed my hand. "Good save,"

"You want to finish that statement?" I asked, smiling flirtatiously at him.

"Only if I'm allowed to speak inappropriately."

"The it will have to wait till later."

Edward slipped his hand around my waist and drew me into him so he could place a searing kiss on my lips. I supposed this was his way of expressing his appreciation of the dress.

Of course it didn't last long, since we were quickly ushered through the door by Alice a minute later. She quickly disappeared back into the bride's room, Rosalie's agitated voice clearly discernable from the other side of the door. "What has Alice done to you, boy?" Edward asked as we walked into the room.

He continued to fuss over his dog for several minutes while I took the opportunity to look around and appreciate the decorations. Alice had done well with the wedding planner in choosing colors. Since this was a winter wedding a lot of white was used in decorating the aisle, bunches of white roses, baby's breath, and blue bells adorned every surface. The entire room smelled wonderful.

I was excited to see how the ballroom was decorated for the reception. Alice had mentioned in passing that frosted glass was going to play a big part in the décor. After the dinner incident Rosalie had made it clear that she no longer wanted anyone's opinion but Alice's or the wedding planner's. I was more than relieved, a little pissed but more relieved, since this meant I was no longer expected to participate in planning meetings.

Edward and I kept Bear between us throughout the ceremony, mostly so he didn't get excited and try to jump up. But he was well behaved and didn't even bark during the music as Rosalie proceeded down the aisle with her party.

I watched Emmett as she approached, the smile on his face saying everything. I don't think I had even seen him this happy before, and for a moment I thought I saw his eyes sparkling with tears.

"Do you really think he's crying?" I whispered to Edward at one point.

"Probably, he said he was going to. He's been waiting for this day for so long now. I know the only thing he wants is to spend the rest of his life with her, tantrums, attitudes and rough patches included."

"Well, we both know there's going to be plenty of those."

Edward rubbed Bear's back and chuckled quietly in response to my statement.

The ceremony overall was short, but beautiful. Rosalie was the typical blushing bride. She was radiant in her strapless white gown. It wasn't as poufy as I had been expecting considering how Alice had described it to me, and I thought maybe she had changed some of the elements about it. It was still lovely, regardless, and I got some ideas about my own wedding gown when it would come time to consider design.

Edward reached over in the bench out into the aisle as Rosalie and Emmett passed us on their way out. He grabbed his brother's hand and shook it, offering congratulations to them both. Rosalie actually smiled at us both in return. I was sure now that the most stressful part of the day was over, it was all roses and sunshine from here for her.

"Do you think she'll calm down now that it's all over?" I asked out loud as Edward and I made our way to the ballroom to find our table.

"Definitely. She seemed much more relaxed at the end of the ceremony than she had this morning when I saw her in the spa."

"Yeah, you should have been there later in the afternoon. She was flipping out at the stylist about her hair. It was actually rather funny, but I did my best to tune her out for the better part of the day."

Bear lay down beside us at the table, patiently waiting for some food. I knew Edward was more than keen to remove the suit Alice had put his puppy in, but I wanted it to stay on. He had been so good so far today about it. I didn't think a few more hours would kill him.

"Should I ask someone about some dog food for him?"

Edward, who had been talking to Esme as she passed us, turned to me and looked down at Bear. He was staring up at us with those large, brown eyes that always melted me. But it was his 'hungry stare'.

"No, let me go get some cold chicken from the hor d'oeuvre table. I'll be right back."

I poured some water in my goblet and placed it on the floor so Bear could get a drink at least while he waited for something to eat. Edward and I might be able to go almost the entire day without sufficient food, but Bear was still growing, and he was _always_ hungry.

"Here you go, boy. Daddy has some yummy chicken for you." He placed the plate down on the floor then poured some more water into the bowl he had also grabbed and replaced it for my glass.

Bear lay down and happily began to consume the chicken. He looked up at one point with a grateful expression in his eyes. Once he was finished I watched him crawl under the tablecloth and then felt him lay down at my feet. After a few minutes Edward checked on him and confirmed that he was passed out. He moved the bowl of water under the table for now.

He fixed the tablecloth and sat up in his chair. "I'll take him out for a walk in a bit. Let him sleep."

Over the next several minutes our table filled up, mostly with people we didn't recognize. I knew two of them from the engagement party Alice had thrown for Edward and I over the summer. Edward greeted his aunt and uncle and reintroduced me as his fiancée. We engaged in conversation mostly with each other, mostly about Bear and how we were going to manage him through the evening.

Once Emmett and Rosalie arrived, the party picked up. I watched as they moved across the dance floor together for their first dance as husband and wife. I didn't know that Emmett was able to move so gracefully. I was surprised by how docile Rosalie was now. She smiled easily as her new husband moved her around the floor.

When they stopped everyone stood up and applauded them, myself included. We moved through dinner quickly, Edward taking Bear to do his business while food was served. He decided to quickly take our puppy up to the room for a couple hours while I stayed down here. He came back down just in time to eat, after which we hit the dance floor together. I wasn't much of a dancer when it came to the faster kind, but slow dancing was always something I looked forward to with Edward.

I loved the way he held me close, squeezing me just tight enough. I always leaned into him so we were close enough that I didn't know where I ended and Edward began. "I actually had a really good time." I whispered to him as one song ended and another began.

"I did too. I'm glad everything worked out."

I knew what he meant, and I was glad too. We remained on the dance floor for a few more songs, and then it was cleared so Rosalie and Emmett could cut their cake and dessert could be served. Afterward was the bouquet toss, which I chose to not participate in. I was pleased when I saw Alice catch the flowers. She smiled brightly and crossed the room to kiss Jasper passionately. Weddings always brought out the best side of people. Well, most people. My mom had told me some wedding horror stories once from the few that she had attended over the years.

The reception finally began to wind down around eight as some family from both sides began to leave. Edward had gone upstairs to check on Bear and feed him if he was hungry. I sat at the table waiting for him to come back so we could go upstairs together.

"It wasn't bad, right?" Alice asked, appearing suddenly at my side.

I turned in shock, not expecting her to drop down in the seat. She apologized for scaring me and repeated her question.

"It was beautiful, Alice. You have a touch."

"I was thinking of becoming a wedding photographer after I graduate. What do you think?"

"I think you should do it, and I think you should consider planning as well."

"Mom thinks so, too. I'll talk to Jasper. Hey, are you going upstairs soon, or would you and Edward like to hang out with me and Jazz for a bit?"

"I think Edward wants to get some sleep." Edward said from behind me.

"And since when does Edward refer to himself in the third person?" I teased.

"Since Edward got tired of waiting to see what you have on underneath that dress." He took my hand and helped me to my feet.

"So the dress that I spent so much time picking out no longer matters?" Alice huffed. She crossed her arms over her chest and pretended to be offended by her brother's blunt remark.

"Not when you two tease me for weeks on end about it. Lets go." He wrapped an arm around my waist and began to steer us from the room. I called a good night to Alice and she waved back. We stopped to congratulate Emmett and Rosalie on the way out, and I even got a hug from her.

Once Edward and I were in the relative safety of the elevator, he pressed me up against the wall and grabbed my leg drawing my knee to his hip. His lips were on mine in an instant and only one thought was going through my head.

_God, I hope this elevator doesn't stop until we reach our floor_


	12. When Being Together Is Insatiable

**Chapter 12, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

Someone up there must have been listening since the elevator continued its slow ascent up to our floor without stopping. I would have hated for the door to open and Edward and I be caught in such a position. My dress was already practically off, since he had been trying to pull the zipper down while attempting to suck on my neck at the same time. The man couldn't multi-task for his life.

We made it into our room after fumbling with the key card for a minute or so, not that my wandering hands made it easier for Edward as he tried again and to get the card in the slot.

He fastened the lock on the door then pushed me up against it and continued his assault from the elevator. Among the first articles of clothing to hit the floor were his tie, my shoes, his shoes, and his jacket. We made a continual line of clothing all the way to the bed, fumbling, kissing, and touching the entire way there.

Fortunately, Bear was passed out on his dog bed by the TV and wasn't disturbed by us at all. Edward stopped when the backs of my legs hit the bed. We took a moment to catch our breath. "I love this dress, Bella, and it was been a pleasure all day to see you in it, but it needs to come off now." He growled at me.

I turned slowly and lifted my hair over my shoulder to reveal the back of the dress to him, and the half opened zipper. He pulled it down the rest of way before slipping the soft, blue material down my body and let it pool on the floor. I stepped out of the dress and turned back to face him so he could appreciate the under garments Alice had forced me into.

"This stays on." He murmured, fingering the black lace garment that encased my breasts. I would have been more than willing to take it off since it made breathing a tad difficult, but he was clearly enjoying it, so it was going to stay on.

I sat down on the bed and leaned back on my elbows, lifting one foot to him. Edward chuckled, but before he took off the black thigh-high stockings I was wearing, he removed his shirt and pants leaving them in a heap beside my dress.

Clad now only in his shorts, he reached out and took my foot so he could pull the stocking down. I knew drawing out the removal of clothing always excited him more than foreplay could, but God did this man have talented fingers, and I wanted his touch more than anything right now.

He pulled the other stocking off and let the black material float to the floor with the rest of our clothes. The only thing separating us now was underwear and we wasted no time in removing it. I loved when Edward took the time to ravish me with his kisses and his touch. He always made me feel beautiful and sexy under his gaze, despite however crappy I may have been feeling beforehand.

I shuddered with anticipation when I heard him rip the foil package. We fumbled a little more on the bed as we moved around and got comfortable, accommodating each other. There will never be anything more satisfying than the feeling of joining with Edward in such an intimate way. I could never get enough of how he filled me up, and I always urged him deeper.

Despite the rush we had been in upon entering the room, we went slow, enjoying the feeling of each other as we moved together. I could only imagine how this was going to feel on our own wedding night, and where we would be doing it.

Edward grunted softly in my ear as he thrust against me, one hand holding my leg to his waist, the other pinning my wrist down by my head. We were completely tangled up, not caring in the least what we looked like. It was all about what we could give to each other. I whispered words of encouragement in his ear to keep him going, make him move a little faster, a little harder.

"You can't hurt me." I murmured. I was right on the edge. I pulled my wrist free of his grasp and took his hand leading it down my body to where we were joined. I threw my head back as lights erupted behind my closed eyes.

A loud moan followed and Edward collapsed half on top of me, his body shaking with light spasms. We had been overdue for that.

For several minutes we lay there breathing, my fingers gently stroking Edward's slightly damp hair. I moaned in protest when he pulled out of me, but he covered my lips with his own effectively killing the noise.

"I promise there will be more." He whispered. "But first, lets go clean up."

"Yes, I want to wash this makeup off."

Edward disposed of the condom, then picked me up off the bed and carried me into the bathroom. He set me down on the counter and handed me a towel then went about making a hot bath for us together. I watched as the jets in the tub turned on and briefly considered asking for sex in the tub.

"Round two?" I offered as tested the temperature of the water.

"What, are you a mind reader now?" Edward asked with a laugh as he picked me up off the counter and carried me over to the tub. He set me down first then climbed in behind me making room for me to lean back against him between his knees. I could clearly feel his arousal against my lower back, but I would take care of that in a minute.

"Want to order some room service when we get out?" I asked him as I washed him up with the cloth that had been sitting in the corner of the tub. "I could go for a late night snack."

"Yeah, me too. Sex makes me hungry."

We both laughed, the shaking of our bodies causing little waves in the tub. "Sex makes you a lot of things."

"It doesn't make me grumpy."

"It did last time." I pointed out. He had been tired. I wanted it and he didn't. He just grunted at me when we finished, rolled over and went back to sleep. Edward apologized if he had hurt my feelings that night, which I assured him he didn't, but he had left me a bit unsatisfied.

"Well, I'll make it up to you." He promised now.

We repositioned ourselves in the tub so we were sitting up, his knees still parted. He took my waist and lifted me up bringing me back down on top of him so he slid into me easily. My head fell back making the tips of my hair touch the water. I was never going to get enough of this. And he was mine forever, regardless of everything else we had planned.

The position we were in was a bit awkward to get started in, especially in a tub filled with water, but once we got going it was hard to stop. Being over enthusiastic we had forgotten protection, and so once we were both teetering on the edge Edward pulled out and we finished with our hands.

Completely sated for the time being, we relaxed back in the water, which by now was beginning to get cold. We cleaned up for a second time then got out and dried each other off. Bear was awake when we ventured back out into the room, and was just getting up and stretching as he yawned.

He seemed perfectly content to hop up on the bed and lay down while Edward ordered us some food. After I was dry I wrapped up in the fluffy robe provided by the hotel and filled Bear's water bowl. "You think he needs a walk?" I asked as I watched him happily take a drink.

"Yeah, I'll take him down in a minute. Can you get the door if the food comes while I'm gone?"

"Of course,"

While I waited, both for room service and for Edward and Bear to get back, I turned the TV and flipped through the channels for something entertaining. I settled on one of the movie channels and sat back in bed waiting for it to start.

Our food arrived before Edward got back, so I accepted it and put it to the side. He walked back in a minute later, Bear smiling happily on his leash.

"He's empty." I observed.

"Completely. He really needed to go, good call."

Bear hopped back up on the bed and curled into my side, tucking his nose against my ribs. Edward brought the food over, and we lounged while feeding each other bites of the sandwich and nibbles he had ordered.

It was late when we finally decided to go to sleep, Bear already passed out at the foot of the bed. Edward spooned up behind me, both of us naked under the blanket, and held me tight against his body. This was the most perfect place to me. It was my happy place. And I never wanted to leave it.

Sunlight was streaming into our room when I woke up the next morning. It poured across the bed, warming my exposed skin. I had turned in my sleep and was now facing Edward, both of my arms wrapped around him with his one arm still wrapped around me. Bear was snoozing in a patch of sunlight at the foot of the bed.

I started to sit up a little, but Edward grunted in protest beside me, and drew me back down. I laughed and he smiled, clearly awake. I pressed my lips to his in greeting, which he responded to enthusiastically. "Good morning," I whispered, smiling against his mouth.

"Morning," he mumbled back.

He groaned as he stretched and rolled onto his back. I propped myself up on my side to watch him for a moment before he rolled back onto his side so he was facing me. "So, can you tell me why Alice felt it was necessary to hide your dress from me?" He asked as I ran my hand up and down his bare chest in light strokes.

"It's kind of dumb, but yes I can explain it. You remember we were both there when Rosalie and Emmett announced whom they wanted in their wedding party. And when Emmett named you his best man, and then Rosalie didn't include me at all, it really hurt, and Alice knew that."

"Which was why I turned Emmett down, and I still feel bad about it, but I knew it wasn't fair to you."

"That didn't matter to me, what hurt was that Rosalie clearly didn't want me involved at all, yet I was always present for all of the conversations concerning her plans. Well, Alice wanted to do something special for me, and for you. So she picked out that dress and thought it would mean more to you, and me, if she made it a special moment for us."

Edward listened intently as I tried to explain Alice's reasoning behind why she had hidden my dress even though I wasn't the bride yesterday, or even a bridesmaid for that matter.

"I can kind of see her logic behind it, but did she have to torment me so much, and tease me about it? I mean, do you even know how many times I got blue balls thinking about that damn thing." He gestured vaguely to the room where my dress lay somewhere on the floor.

"You're right, she didn't have to tease you as much as she did about it, but she is your little sister, and teasing you is part of her job."

"Not at this age."

"Always, Edward."

"She did do a hell of a job picking out a dress for you, though. You were stunning. I almost didn't even recognize you when I saw you for the first time yesterday." He reached out and gently stroked my cheek, "You were beautiful." He whispered sincerely, slipping his finger under my chin and pulling my mouth to his so he could kiss me.

His hand slipped to the back of my neck, and I was all for letting this get out of control when there was a knock on the door. "Who the hell is that?" I mumbled, rolling off of him.

"Breakfast, I forgot I had ordered it for this morning. I didn't know what time we would be up so I thought ten-thirty would be a safe bet."

Edward extracted himself from my arms and got up, Bear jumping down off the bed and following him to the door.

"Um, sweetheart, you might want to put some clothes on first before you answer the door." I called out to him as he crossed the room.

Edward turned back to me, fully naked, and looked down the length of his own body. "Good point," he muttered as he blushed. I watched him yank his shorts on and a t-shirt before answering the door and accepting the tray of breakfast he had ordered for us.

I threw his dress shirt on from last night and got back up on the bed while Edward fed Bear his breakfast so we could eat in peace ourselves. He had ordered one of my favorites, French toast, and we fed each other as we had done last night. This weekend had almost been like a mini vacation for us and I was hesitant to let it end. However, we were still on Christmas break for the next two weeks, so we had plenty of time to pretend we were still on vacation.

"So where did the happy couple decide to go for their honeymoon?" I asked as I sipped some coffee.

Edward answered with a mouthful of eggs. "Aruba, back to where Emmett proposed."

"I hope you don't plan on doing that?"

"We won't get very far."

"Exactly," I laughed. Edward had proposed in our apartment after I had accidently found the ring in his sock drawer while I had been putting laundry away.

We finished breakfast quickly and got dressed. I was a little more than hesitant to leave, the last twelve hours had been so peaceful and I wanted to stay here and let it continue, but we needed to get back. I took Bear outside for another walk while Edward checked us out and packed the car.

We decided to let Bear sleep on the back seat for the drive back instead keeping him in his kennel. He had been so good throughout the entire weekend, and he deserved a reward. Perhaps we would get him some new toys this week as well.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for me. Before I knew it Edward and I were cleaning up the dinner dishes and getting ready for bed. I was exhausted from the activities of the last twenty-four hours and wasn't particularly in the mood for sex, but Edward was, as he made evident when he pressed his hard on into my back as we spooned.

"Come on, Bells, just for a little bit." He whined in my ear.

"God, you sound like Bear." I whined back.

Edward then proceeded to begin whining _exactly_ like the dog. Bear joined in from the floor, where he was asleep, and I started to laugh. I didn't know if it was perfect timing and Bear was dreaming, or if he was awake. I didn't look over the side to check.

"Fine," I conceded, and rolled over.

Edward hover over me for several minutes, just staring down at me as he ran his fingers down the side of my face. He took his time showering me with kisses. I didn't know if he was trying to make up for sounding like a little baby, or if he was trying to get me in a better mood before we did anything.

It wasn't for naught. When we started moving together I could already feel the familiar tingling between my legs. There was just something about making love with Edward that even saying it out loud got me all hot and bothered. I couldn't look back on the days when we were in our first years together without laughing about how awkward sex was for us.

We had both been virgins our first time, and although it wasn't in the most preferred of venues (Edward's bed in the dorm room he had been sharing with Emmett at the time), it was still special for us.

But it was even more special now. The way he kept one arm around me, supporting my back as he drew me off the bed slightly, increasing the angle of his thrust. The way his bangs fell in his eyes as he moved over me and in me. And his face. God, his face when he came. I don't think there is anything more beautiful than Edward caught up in that moment of sexual bliss.

Afterward we lay curled up together, naked, under the sheet. Edward still had one arm wrapped around my back, keeping me tucked in close to his warm body. We were both slightly damp with sweat and I needed to pee really bad, but I was hesitant from leaving this peaceful position.

"So tell me where you think we would be had we never gotten together?" Edward asked as he slowly moved his hand up and down my spine in soothing strokes.

"You mean if you had never come over to me that first day of chemistry lab and asked to be my partner?"

He nodded. "I really thought you were going to say no, you wanted to work alone. Or maybe with another girl. I was so happy when you said yes."

"Actually, I think I stuttered and said something like, "uh…yeah…sure."

Edward smiled and stroked my cheekbone. "I think you did, too."

"But back to your question. Where do I think we would be right now?" I lay there for a moment trying to envision my life without him. It brought me back to last year at first, when things had really turn to shit between us. I never once considered leaving him, but I did consider kicking him out of the apartment.

I pushed those thoughts from my mind and steered in the direction of where I would be had Edward and I never become a couple in the first place. "I would probably still be living on campus, in the one of the apartments, just a biology major with no clue as to what I would be doing once I graduated. You?"

"I would probably be living in the dorms still, in a single room, a loner. Always studying and never eating, and just plain miserable. I wouldn't have your support, and I probably wouldn't be a pre-med major either."

"Do you think we could have ever been pushed together by your siblings?" I asked.

"Alice maybe," Edward admitted, "but it would have taken her a long time a lot of effort."

"Well, we saved her from that." I whispered as I started to try and move away. The urge to pee was too strong now to ignore. "I really need to the bathroom." I told Edward as he attempted to imprison me in his arms.

He wrapped them around me tightly once more then let me go with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I need it too."

We stumbled our way in the dark to the bathroom, both of us protesting against the light when Edward flipped it on. He waited outside while I peed first, then I turned the shower on and hopped in when the water was warm.

"Ok, you can come in now." I called to him.

"Why the shower?" I heard him ask.

"Because…" I started hesitantly, "…I feel icky."

"You feel sticky?" He teased back. The curtain was pulled open and Edward got in the shower with me grinning widely at his joke.

"I wasn't going to say that, but you've just stated it for me, thank you." I turned away from him as he twirled his finger.

Apparently I had earned a massage, and moaned for the full five minutes that Edward rubbed my shoulder, neck, and back. He then massaged my scalp as he washed my hair. I returned the favor, noticing what my enjoyment of his touch had done. At one point he grabbed my hand with a laugh and tried to guide it down his body.

I didn't mind sex in the shower, but I was in here right now to wash up.

"So," Edward shrugged in answer when I protested. "We're in a shower, you can still wash up afterwards, and the temperature is adjustable. That's what those knobs are for."

I rolled my eyes at him, but I let him position me against the wall and lift me up so I could wrap my legs around his waist. I always found this particular position difficult, even more so when we were both wet and there wasn't much to hold on to besides each other.

It was still satisfying, albeit awkward. We stepped out of the shower, after washing off for a second time, once the water began to run cold. I let Edward wrap me up in a towel and sit me on the counter so he could dry me off. I couldn't get over how attentive he was being to me, despite that it was the middle of the night, and I knew he was exhausted.

My hair was still a little damp when we finally returned to bed. Bear had taken up residence at the foot of it in our absence. We managed to curl up together in comfortable position, and fell asleep minutes later totally blissed out.


	13. In Which Emmett Is Punished

**Chapter 13, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

The rest of Christmas break passed by much too quickly for my liking, however with nothing to do after Emmett and Rose's wedding, Bella and I became exceedingly bored. We spent a good amount of time thinking about our own wedding, but not much really came out of it. We didn't want to set a definite date yet since neither of us had started our graduate studies and we didn't know how much longer we would be in school.

By the end of the break Bella had started drawing in one of her old sketchbooks and came to me with an idea for something I had never before considered. And I had never expected Bella to actually want something like that. But the more we talked about it and tweaked it, the more excited we both got. At first I though it was a really cheesy idea, and completely clichéd.

Once it was done, though, I had to admit I liked having Bella's name as a permanent part of me. The first weekend in February we drove to my parents' house for the big game, not that I was all that interested, but the whole family was going to be together, and my mother wasn't giving me an option.

Emmett and Rosalie were back from their honeymoon and had plenty of pictures and stories to share, although I wasn't sure I wanted to hear some of them. Rosalie had gotten a job at a modeling agency as one of the stylists and Emmett was going to be jumping from interview to interview over the next couple weeks hoping one of the gyms in town called him back with a place for a personal trainer. It wasn't what he wanted to do as a permanent job, but it would be a constant paycheck that they could put away.

"Does it hurt?" I asked Bella, as I noticed her staring at her wrist and the fresh black ink there. She was lying on her back with her arm up in the air, poking at the tender skin.

We had just gotten our tattoos yesterday, and I knew she had had a hard time sleeping last night since she had one arm wrapped around her pillow, and it was the arm she had gotten inked.

"It's sore, but not unbearable." She poked at the scrawling ink that spelled at out my name and the word 'forever' intertwined into a bracelet-like tattoo around her entire wrist.

"Put some more stuff on it." I reached over onto the nightstand and handed her the A&D ointment.

She sat up to apply it, rubbing gently. "How's yours?"

"It's sore." I admitted with a small smile. Actually, it fucking hurt like hell, but I wasn't going to say that.

"When are we telling everyone?" she asked as she lay back down.

"Later, unless you plan on wearing a t-shirt all afternoon."

"No way, it's freezing." Bella pulled the long sleeves down on her shirt and turned on her side to cuddle up next to me. "Keep me warm."

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back for a couple minutes. I could tell she was just about to drift off to sleep when there was a timid knock on the door. It opened slowly and my mom stuck her head in.

"Lunch is ready if you guys are hungry."

"We'll be down in a minute."

Once my door was shut again I turned to look at Bella. She was smirking into my shoulder. "What's so funny?"

"Imagine if we had been in the middle of something."

"Don't bring that curse down. We're the only two who haven't been caught yet by my parents."

"'Yet' being the critical word there."

"Well, being caught by your father, and then by your mother-"

"It was a friend of my mother's actually." Bella interrupted.

"Which makes the situation all the more humiliating."

Bella laughed silently and resumed her curled up position against my side. "Maybe we should just let them catch us in the middle of some really hot sex just to get it over with. Not that we would notice."

"Depending on how consumed we are at the time." Bella propped herself up on one elbow and started stroking up and down my chest. "Don't," I warned her.

"When are we _not_ totally consumed by each other in the heat of the moment?"

She had a good point.

"And when have I ever let you get away with not putting forth all the effort you possess?"

"We need to stop talking about this, and you need to stop stroking me. You're causing…problems."

"I see that," Bella nodded toward my groin, where my sleep pants barely concealed the bulge that was starting to form at the crotch.

"Then fucking stop," I exclaimed with a choked laugh.

She didn't. Instead, Bella got up on her knees and swung one leg across my hips so she was straddling my lap and leaned down pressing her mouth against mine. "Are you intentionally trying to get us caught?"

"No, I just suddenly had the urge to kiss my fiancé."

"I think you have an urge for more than that."

"Well, I am ovulating." She snickered as though the monthly occurrence were some kind of excuse. The fact that her ovary was releasing an egg had nothing to do with it. It was the rise in her hormone levels, which caused not only the horny woman above me, but the release of the previously mentioned egg.

"Ok, Dr. Cullen, don't get all technical with me. It's sort of a turn off."

Shit, had I said all of that out loud?

Bella dismounted my waist, and I may have pouted in protest, but she made up for it when she laid back down next to and start to inch her hand down to my crotch.

"If you want some relief before we go downstairs, I suggest you get up and lock that door before I go too far."

"Don't pretend this is just for me." I told her as I got up and crossed the room to turn the lock on my door.

Bella sat up and shed her shirt leaving her in her bra. I shed my sleep pants and t-shirt before climbing back up on the bed, watching as Bella tried to kick off the boxer shorts she had borrowed from my dresser.

"Maybe they're too big for you." I offered, reclining back against the pillow, waiting on her.

"You think?" She grabbed a condom from the nightstand and once I was completely sheathed she straddled my waist again, lowering herself down without any hesitation.

"Jesus, I wasn't ready for that." I gasped as she rocked her hips roughly against mine. "Or that,"

"Lay back," Bella placed her hand on my chest and pushed me down gently. She then took my hands and placed them on her hips. I let them wrap around her back, holding her body fast to mine.

I did the best I could to control the amount of grunting and moaning coming from my mouth, but with Bella so wantonly riding me it was rather difficult. "Shush," She pressed her finger to my lips as I groaned a little too loudly when she pushed against me, forcing me deep inside her body.

I propped myself up enough to reach her mouth and kissed her feverishly. We shifted awkwardly so we were both sitting up now, able to move a little more freely. I was at the point where I no longer cared how we moved so long as we kept moving.

"Fuck, I'm close, Bella."

"Lay back down." She panted.

"No, roll over." I requested, hoping I didn't sound too demanding.

I hated feeling the loss of the connection between us, but I knew it would be short lived. In my desperation I moved gracelessly, causing Bella to laugh out loud. She laid down on her back making room for me and I slid back into her, reaching out and grabbing onto my headboard for support. She threw her leg around my waist locking our bodies together.

I moved frantically against her, praying the bed wasn't making any noise. Not that I would have been able to hear it in my state right now. Bella kept up a constant cascade of kisses along my shoulder, my neck and my chest, her arms around my neck and draping down my back. Her nails dug into my skin, urging me to move faster, harder, which I was more than willing to oblige to.

"Oh God," I started to shout as my body shook in spasms, but Bella reached up and clamped her hand over my mouth. Her eyes slammed shut a moment later as her own climax crashed down on her. I pressed my lips to hers in a more effective (and enjoyable) way of silencing us both.

"Holy shit," I sucked in enough air to say it and collapsed to the side. "When was the last time we got that crazy?"

"I don't know, but it was long overdue." Bella smoothed her hair back from her forehead and rolled over so she was lying on top of me now, and pinned my arms down. "It didn't last quite as long as I wanted it to, though."

"Well, we can continue later. I'm hungry now."

Bella sighed dramatically, although I knew she was teasing me. "If it isn't one bodily need with you, it's another." She got up and sauntered off into the bathroom.

"I am a man." I called after her, "I have needs."

"That's no excuse." She called back from across the room. I heard the sink turn on.

After disposing of the condom I threw the sheets back into place on my bed and started getting some clothes out for us to wear. The water turned off in the bathroom and Bella walked out dressed in her robe with a washcloth in her hand.

"Sit," She indicated the bed. I sat down on the edge and she sat next to me and started to run the warm, damp cloth over my skin, cleaning me up. I always enjoyed it when she took care of me like this after sex. It was intimate and we typically exchanged quite a few deep kisses.

"When are you going to let me do this for you?"

"I do let you, when we shower together."

"How about after sex?"

"How about next time?"

"You mean later today?" I waggled my eyebrows. Bella decided at that moment to start washing my cock and she squeezed unexpectedly. "Fuck…"

"If you're lucky." She left it at that and got up to return the washcloth to the bathroom.

"You're just mean."

"And you know you love it."

We finally managed to get dressed and make it downstairs, much to my brother's amusement. "Is the bed still in one piece upstairs?" He asked boisterously as Bella and I stepped on to the landing.

Jasper snorted into his drink and excused himself to the living room, dragging Alice with him. Rosalie looked up in shock from the photo album she and my mother had been pouring over on the island counter. I saw the corner of my dad's mouth lift up in a smile from behind the newspaper he was reading at the table. Beside me I felt Bella grip my hand and when I looked over at her, her face was blood red and she was glaring daggers at my older, asshole brother.

"I hope the day never comes Emmett that you and Rose are enjoying personal time together and your kids run in on you and ask why you're wrestling with mommy naked."

Emmett actually blanched at my comment and looked to Rose. It seemed the topic of children was yet to be breached between them.

"Babe, is there something I don't know?" he asked worriedly.

"Not that it's a matter of public knowledge, Emmett, but I got my period this morning. No, I'm not pregnant."

Emmett let out a breath looking entirely relieved. The he looked up at me. "Don't fuck with me like that, Edward."

"Don't be such a jackass." I retorted, giving Bella's hand a gentle tug as we finally stepped down off the landing and walked into the kitchen. Emmett disappeared into the living room and I heard him start arguing with Jasper over the TV remote.

Bella situated herself against the counter while I put together a couple plates of the food my mom had made for lunch. "Where's Bear?" I asked, suddenly noticing his lack of whining. He was usually at my feet crying whenever there was food in my hands.

"Out back with Marcus," my dad nodded to the back door, "They're having some male bonding time."

"You mean Bear is trying to assert his alpha presence over Marcus." I elaborated. Bella just raised an eyebrow with an amused expression on her face. She shook her head and turned to the cabinets to grab some glasses for us and filled them with iced tea.

"You want to go sit outside and keep an eye on the boys?" I asked once I finished with the plates.

"Sure, I'll get our coats."

We walked down the back steps to the covered table and sat close enough that we would be warm. It wasn't too chilly out, winter had never really arrived and temperatures had hovered in the forties for the last few weeks on end, but it was cool enough to warrant outerwear.

Bear was stalking Marcus as our Saint Bernard tried to find a spot in the backyard to lie down and relax. Much of the usual ground that he claimed was now taken up by the in-ground pool my parents had had installed last spring. Right now it was covered.

"Bear, come on!" I shouted eventually when I noticed that Marcus was getting particularly peeved at the little shadow that was following him.

Bear trotted over and hopped up so his front paws were on top of the table. "No," Bella told him firmly and pushed him down gently. Bear sat down and let his tongue loll out as he attempted to beg. "No," Bella said again, this time firmer. "Down," Bear laid down and put his head on his paws. Bella reached down to scratch behind his ear and told him, "Good boy."

When we finished lunch we brought Bear and Marcus inside with us. Marcus headed downstairs to the den, and when Bear tried to follow, Bella called him back over and told him to go lie down in the living room.

"I feel bad for Marcus." Bella sighed, sitting down next to me.

Emmett pulled his eyes off the TV for a minute to look at Bear where he lay on the carpet chewing on a knotted piece of rope. "You'd think being such a big dog he would assert himself more against Bear, but Marcus is such a softy."

"Bear has always been like this, though. He's always had to be in control."

"Hm, just like you." Bella patted my knee.

"Don't make me hurt you." I threatened with a wink.

"If you're going to, take it back upstairs." Emmett muttered, or at least though he did. Bella grabbed the throw pillow she was resting against and pitched it across the room at Emmett's head.

"Thank you, Bella, I've been meaning to do that." Rosalie picked up the pillow as she walked in and smacked her new husband over the head with it as well.

"What is this, beat up on Emmett day?"

"Yes," We all answered together.


	14. Where Chocolate Becomes an Addiction

**Chapter 14, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

Waking up on weekdays was always a struggle for me, even after high school when I didn't have to get up at 6 in the morning anymore. But once you've become accustomed to waking so early, you just start to do it no matter how hard you try to stay asleep. Getting up at 9 was late for me. But on the upside, I wake up naturally before Edward does, so I get to lay in bed and watch him sleep.

In the past three years it had become a favorite morning pastime, among other things we sometimes did early in the morning in bed together.

I lay on my stomach with my arms folded under the pillow, supporting my head. Edward lay on his side facing me, one arm under his head, the other flung out towards me. I wanted to reach across the space between us and take his hand, but I knew it would wake him. He was so peaceful that I couldn't bring myself to disturb him.

His eyes moved back and forth underneath the lids, making the lashes flutter. His side rose and fell evenly with his breathing, his lips upturned slightly in a small smile. I wondered what he was dreaming about.

Edward moaned quietly in his sleep and the fingers of his visible hand flexed a bit. I sighed as his eyes slid open and slowly focused on me. His smile grew a little bigger and he reached for me. I inched over into his arms, happy with the response I received, his lips pressed firmly against mine. He grunted, pushing me onto my back.

My body instinctively made room for him and he got comfortable, settling between my thighs. Being naked, I felt his morning wood pressed against my belly. He grunted again, shifting against me.

"I don't have time, I need to get up and get ready for class."

"It's only seven, Bells." He mumbled, still half asleep. It was adorable, and more than a little arousing.

"Yes, and my seminar starts at 8:45. I need to get up now."

"Just a few minutes," he pleaded in a thick voice, pushing against me as he said it. It caused the most delicious sensations in my body that I could not ignore. I nodded my consent and Edward grabbed a condom from the nightstand.

We moved slowly, enjoying the feel of one another. I kept my arms around his body and one leg thrown across his hips. Edward pushed and pulled against me with fervent motions, but he never sped up. I loved the deep push followed by the retraction and the slide of his body against mine.

There was barely any movement on the bed between us, except for the movement of ours lips as we whispered and kissed each other passionately. Edward groaned loudly, reaching up to grab the headboard when he came. I thought I heard my name tumble from his lips, but I followed him only moments later into oblivion, so I may have been wrong.

He let himself down slowly so he didn't collapse on me, sighing as he settled next to me. "Happy Valentine's Day," He smiled at me.

"It is now," I smiled back. We kissed lazily for a couple more minutes before I finally had to tear myself away. "What time do you think you'll be out of class?" I asked as I walked into the bathroom.

"I don't have any today."

I thought I heard him wrong, so I stuck my head out of the door and stared at him. "How do you not have any classes today? It's Tuesday. You have class for eight hours today."

"And they both got cancelled."

"I find that very hard to believe." I disappeared back into the bathroom and turned the shower on. While I waited for the water to warm up I threw my robe on and returned to the bedroom. Edward was now sitting up on the side of the bed pulling on his shorts. "So what will you be doing all day while I slave away in my seminars?" I asked, leaning in the doorway.

"I'll be here doing…stuff." He grinned at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "What kind of stuff?"

Bear jumped up on the bed and settled behind Edward. I could tell he was antsy for a walk, he only curled up that close to you in the morning when he needed to pee.

"I can't tell you that, it's classified."

I decided to change tactics. "What are we doing tonight?"

"I can't tell you that either, it's a surprise."

I groaned and headed back into the bathroom to get in the shower. I kept it short since time was not on my side at the moment, and dressed quickly once I was out. Edward had a bagel for me and a cup of coffee on the table waiting when I walked into the kitchen.

"Mm, is this part of my surprise?" I asked sitting down.

"Maybe," He answered, leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

"You just won't say anything will you?"

"Nope," He grabbed his own breakfast from the counter and sat next to me.

"Will you at least tell me what you plan on doing today?"

"Clean,"

"I hate you."

"I know," He grinned broadly and took a huge bite of his bagel.

"Are you plotting with your sister?"

"No, but I did take some lessons from her."

I just sighed and finished my breakfast. "Ok, I'll be back some time late in the afternoon. I have research to do in the library after my classes."

"Now who's sequestering themselves in the stacks?" Edward teased as I got up from the table.

"Don't even go there." I threatened, laughing as I slid my coat on and threw my bag over my shoulder. "I'll be here, no worries. I only need to go through a few books and write up an outline. Two hours tops. I should be back by six? Does that work into whatever it is you have bouncing around in that mind of yours?"

Edward got up and walked over to me, taking my waist in his hands and pulled me against him. He pressed his lips to mine in a goodbye kiss, pulling back slightly at the end. "Maybe," He whispered.

I pushed him gently making him laugh as we let go of each other. "Damn you,"

"I'll see you later," he continued to laugh as he headed back into the kitchen.

I opened the door to head out, "Now I almost want to show up late just to spite you." A loud laugh followed me out the door as I shut it behind me. I hated it when Edward intentionally taunted me like that. He knew I hated surprises.

Despite that I was focused on what it was Edward was doing for us tonight, the morning flew by rather quickly in my seminar classes. I grabbed lunch with my study group, Jasper included. He went on for a bit about where he was taking Alice tonight, and the fact that he was blushing almost the whole time I had a feeling tonight would be monumental for him, and for Alice.

I wished him luck before I left, making him blush further, and I headed off to the library for a couple hours of research before my last class of the day. By the time I got out of that last lecture I couldn't wait to get back to the apartment mostly because I was tired, and I wanted to relax with my fiancé, but I also wanted to know what he had been up to all damn day.

The lights were on when I pulled into my spot in front of the apartment. I saw Bear jump into the window, his tail wagging violently behind him. He had a smile a mile wide on his face.

"Hey you!" I greeted him happily as I opened the door. Bear jumped up laying his paws on my chest as he attempted to reach my face and lick it. I gave him a hug and let him kiss me. "You smell good, did daddy give you a bath?"

"I did," Edward announced as he walked out from the kitchen. I noticed for the first time the wonderful fragrance following him.

"What did you cook?"

"You'll find out in a while, it's not quite done yet. So, I have to cover your eyes through the kitchen."

I hung my coat up, then let Edward cover my eyes as he led me through the kitchen to the hall. Once he had me in the bedroom, he pulled his hand away and threatened me with pain of death should I come out before he came to get me.

"Take a bath, put on something nice." He kissed the tip of my nose before finally leaving.

Not that I objected to the thought of a long, hot bath right now, but I wish he was taking it with me, or least giving me the bath. I set my things down and wandered into the bathroom to get the water started. While the tub filled I stripped down and put my robe on then went about selecting the right dress for tonight.

I had not idea what Edward had in mind when he said 'nice', it was just too vague. So I stuck with the basic black number, but I picked the one Alice had forced me in to buying on our last shopping trip together. It was body hugging and emphasized my curves. It had cap sleeves and scoop neckline with a slight collar. The only reason I had been against it at first was because of the tight cut, but I knew Edward would love it.

After laying out my dress I went to check on the water, and finding it hot and the tub sufficiently full I removed my robe and got in the sudsy water. I almost moaned out loud as I sunk down into a restful position. I could lay here for hours and never want to get out. I didn't indulge in baths often, so when Edward had recommended it I hope he knew I would be reluctant to get out.

I took my time getting clean, wanting to savor every moment I could of the soothing bubbles and warm water. I had chosen my favorite raspberry-scented bath soap, and was enveloped in the intoxicatingly sweet aroma.

I shut my eyes at one point and leaned back a little against the small towel I was using as a headrest.

"Bella?" My name sounded from the other side of the door.

I picked my head up. "Yeah?"

"Dinner is almost ready,"

I sighed dramatically and heard Edward chuckle. "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Perfect," I could hear the smile in his voice.

When I heard the bedroom door shut outside I got out and wrapped myself in a big towel before draining the tub. I took my time to wash my face and brush my teeth. I towel dried my hair then brushed it out and pulled it back into a loose knot that Alice had once shown me how to do.

I did my makeup while I was standing there, keeping it light but elegant. I didn't need to go over the top tonight. It was just the two of us.

"Oh my God," I gasped when I opened the bathroom door. Edward had been in here while I was in the bath. He had put about a dozen candles or so around the room and lit them all, leaving the lights low, and he had scattered rose petals everywhere.

It took me a moment to come to my senses before I realized that I still needed to get dressed. Just as I was slipping on my red heels there was a soft knock on the door and Edward opened it sticking his head.

"Wow, you look beautiful," he whispered, stepping in to the room. He had changed as well and was wearing black dress pants, black shoes and a grey button down. In his hand was a single red rose.

"You don't look half bad yourself." I said, standing up. I did a little spin for him and heard him laugh. "What do you think? Your sister indirectly picked this out."

Edward didn't say anything, but closed the few feet between us, presenting me with the rose. "Happy Valentine's Day,"

I took it and sniffed it, smiling over the rim of the petals at him. I then reached up and looped my arms loosely around his neck. "Happy Valentine's Day." I repeated back to him.

"Hungry,"

"Famished, I can't wait to see what you cooked."

"I know you're going to love it." Edward took my hand and led me out to the kitchen.

He had already cleaned up and left almost everything spotless. The table was set for two, complete with candles. He pulled my chair out for me even spread my napkin into my lap.

"Wine?" He asked with a teasing smile. It made me laugh, which I think is exactly what he had been looking for. I nodded in between my quiet giggles and he filled my glass for me before filling his own.

I finally looked across the space between us to see what he had made for tonight. The delicate fragrance I had almost walked in to earlier had been from the sea bass, the garlic from the braised vegetables, and the distinct warmth from the bread that Edward was now breaking a chunk off of and offering to me.

He had already made up the plates before bringing me out to sit, so we could now relax together and enjoy the meal he had spent all day preparing. I was surprised by how perfectly the fish was cooked, the meat being so tender it was like eating a cloud.

Of course we fed each other little bites, with Bear sitting at our feet the whole time begging for bits of his own. We may have slipped him a vegetable or two, which he gladly accepted and effectively begged for more.

"That was incredible," I praised Edward as I set my napkin on the table at the end of dinner. "But I do have to ask, did you call your mother asking for ideas?"

Edward grinned sheepishly and a light blush entered his cheeks, slowly creeping up into his scalp. "I was a little conflicted this morning about what to make for tonight and I may have made a phone call."

I laced my fingers with his where his hand lay on the table. "But you were still the one to prepare and cook everything. And it was amazing."

"I'm glad you liked it. Do you have room for dessert?"

"Was that the chocolate I was smelling earlier?"

"Maybe," Edward kissed my forehead as he gathered the plates and cleared them. I was instructed to remain at the table with Bear and sip my wine. I heard him moving around in the kitchen and the refrigerator door opening and closing a couple times. I heard the oven turn off and the clink of flatware on plates.

Edward returned to the table with two small dessert plates, on top of which sat little chocolate cakes. "Are those lava cakes?" I asked, unable to hide my glee.

Edward set the plate down in front of me. "Why don't you find out?"

He sat down and speared his cake, making the liquid chocolate on the inside ooze out temptingly. Instead of enjoying our cakes separately we fed each other from our plates. I set what was left on mine down on the floor for Bear, terrible habit I know, but he had been so good the whole night and had not been whining.

This time I helped clean up the dishes, passing Edward the plates to dry as I washed them. We worked together quietly, trading smiles back and forth and flicking water at each other from the faucet. I flinched a couple times as it splashed my face and shrieked and laughed.

Bear laid down in the entryway watching us, hoping for stray scrapes to fall, but he remained quiet. Apparently his bath had calmed him significantly for the evening. Edward hopped up on the counter to sit when we finished and sipped his wine. He grabbed my glass and filled it halfway before handing it back to me.

"Now that you're fed and watered," He teased with a smile over the rim of his glass, "was there anything in particular you wanted to…engage in tonight?"

"You think that just because you cooked for me, you cleaned, and you washed the dog that you're getting lucky?" I teased back. "Where's my chocolate?"

"What do you think the cake was?"

I pouted, "You're supposed to get me boxed candy…"

"You are just incorrigible." Edward shook his head, sighing as he hopped down off the counter and pulled open the cabinet over the sink. He pulled out a long, white box decorated on the front with a teal ribbon.

I squealed happily, taking the box of Russell Stover Assorted Creams and quickly ripped the plastic off. My absolute favorite chocolate in the world. I had to lift the box slowly and drool over the perfect arrangement of fruity creams, coconuts, and maple creams.

I offered Edward the box first. He took of the truffles and popped it in his mouth whole. I picked one of the maple creams and enjoyed it in two bites, practically moaning over it.

"Thank you," I muttered, still chewing.

"You're welcome."

"I'll share,"

"You better."

Before we went to bed that night we placed the box back in the cabinet, promising that until it was empty we would each take a piece after dinner. It was my favorite as well as his, and I was more than willing to share.

"I really enjoyed tonight," I whispered in the dark, laying on my side and facing Edward. We had been lying here quiet for some time after being wrapped up in each other's arms.

"I'm glad. I wish we had the time for nights like this more often."

I reached across the space between us and laced our fingers together, "Some day,"

I felt Edward nod, but it was so dark with the curtains drawn I couldn't see him. I sighed, content, and curled myself closer to the warmth of his body.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Bella." He whispered as I began to fall asleep, his fingers running soothingly through my hair.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Edward." I whispered back. Bear jumped up on the bed at that point and spooned up in what was left of the space. "You too, Bear." I whispered, petting him with my foot.

Edward chuckled and advised me not to rub too hard. "You might make him fart."

We both laughed that time, effectively draining the last of our energy. I felt myself drift off, warm, comfortable, and wanting to be nowhere else in the world.


	15. When Camping Is Acceptable

**Chapter 15, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

Days passed in a blur following Valentine's Day. Bear finished up his training, and was now quite the complacent almost one-year-old. He followed his commands without having to be told twice, most of the time, and when he was told 'NO', he listened. Bella began wrapping up the last twenty pages of her thesis, due the last week in April. She was excited to get it over with, despite how enthusiastic she had been in the beginning.

All of my medical school applications were turned in and I was now awaiting responses. I knew I shouldn't expect anything before the end of next month, but one could dare to dream. Since the end of the semester was approaching fast, and it was also the end of our senior year, time together was spent writing, reading, or studying in the living room with a an open bottle of wine.

But we made it work. I would sit back against one arm of the couch, a textbook in my hand as I annotated in the margins with my notes about things I wanted to remember. Bella would sit between my knees, the tip of her red pen in her mouth as she marked up her latest couple of pages and made corrections or additions. Most nights we didn't make it to bed until midnight. But we made it work.

I knew life in a few years was going to be exactly like this anyway. I would be starting a residency probably and Bella just getting out of graduate school and looking for temporary work. Jasper and I were hoping to graduate together, and then he would start his practice and I was planning on getting a job with my father in the hospital. Now that I knew I wanted to focus on pediatrics he could help me find a position on the floor.

By that time I wanted Bella and I to be married, but we weren't in any rush. I knew after the spectacle of Emmett and Rosalie's wedding, Bella was going to want something relatively small, and not want a whole lot of planning to go into it. I didn't care in the end how long we wound up being engaged for, I only cared that I got to put that other ring on her finger making her legally mine and I hers for the rest of our lives.

"Hey," I gave Bella a gentle shake from where she had passed out with her head on my chest. "Honey, wake up, we need to go to bed."

Bella mumbled incoherently and turned slightly to snuggle closer to me. Her pages she had been editing and her citation manual fell to the floor with a soft flutter.

I chuckled and ran my fingers down her back. "Bella, baby, we need to go to bed, we have to be up early to catch that flight to Seattle." I thought I saw her lips turn up in a small smile. She was awake and totally faking.

"Can't we just sleep out here?" She mumbled, rubbing her head against my chest.

"No, because every time we sleep on the couch it's impossible to get up in the morning."

"Ugh…." Bella groaned and forced herself to sit up. "Fine, come on." She got off the couch and held her hand out to me. I took it and stood up, and then scooped her up into my arms to carry her off to our bedroom. Bear took over our vacated spot, most likely because it was still warm.

I hated to do it, but five hours later I was shaking Bella awake once more. I had been up already for about a half hour. I was showered and dressed and had picked up our books in the living room from the night before.

Bella groaned at me and grabbed her pillow covering her head with it. I loved it when she played grouchy in the morning. "How are you even functioning right now?" She asked. Her voice was muffled from underneath the pillow.

"Because someone has to get you up and pack our suitcase. Come on, shower's free." I flicked the covers off of her feet knowing that would do the trick. Bella hated to have her feet uncovered in bed.

"Bastard," She growled at me as she sat up and stretched. "You owe me."

"I promise to let you snuggle the entire flight."

"Mm, good. Good morning," She leaned up and kissed me on her way to the bathroom.

I returned it, clasping one hand around her back, "Morning, I'll get some coffee ready."

"Please,"

I heard the shower turn on as I walked into the kitchen. Bear sat waiting by the front door, glancing at his leash with mournful eyes. "Give me one minute, Bear." I told him as I got the coffee and a filter down from the cabinet.

Once the coffee was going I took Bear out for a quick pee. It was almost done by the time we got back, and the shower was still going. Knowing full well that Bella was probably not going to be awake enough to pick out something nice to wear, I went ahead and grabbed a pair of jeans for her, a nice top and a light sweater. She would have probably chosen her college sweats to travel in, but I knew she would want to look nice when we arrived at her dad's later this afternoon.

We decided this year to spend spring break in Forks, and would be going back for a few weeks this summer. It was hard to travel all the time with Bella's parents at opposite ends of the country. The past couple years we had spent part of Christmas break in Florida simply because it was closer than Washington. Bella made sure to call her father once a week if not more. Charlie understood entirely, and he wasn't about to up and leave Forks, but I knew he wanted to see his daughter more often than two or three times a year.

"Feel more human?" I teased as Bella walked out of the bathroom towel drying her hair.

"Significantly more human than zombie." She sighed, and glanced at the clothes I had picked out for her. "Nice,"

"I hoped so." I finished with the last few things to pack and zipped up our shared suitcase. "Coffee?"

"Yes. When are we leaving?"

"Soon, about fifteen minutes."

"Ok," Bella gave me another quick peck and I left so she could get dressed.

Twenty minutes later we were on our way to the airport after having given Bear his sedative for the flight. He had done quite well on his flights to and from Florida, and so we thought we should try taking him cross-country.

The flight was uneventful. As promised I let Bella snuggle the whole time. I had the window seat on the flight out, which made it easier for her. I lifted the armrest and let her curl right in to my side as she drifted back to sleep, her book forgotten in her lap. I kept one arm wrapped around her, the back of my hand stroking up and down her arm as I typed with my other hand. I had my laptop out for most of the flight, going through my final project for immunology.

We arrived in Forks within an hour of landing from our connecting flight to Port Angeles. Charlie was waiting with his truck, obviously having taken the day off to come and get his daughter and her boyfriend. _Fiancé_. I knew he was still having trouble sometimes accepting the word, unable to believe that his little girl was grown up and getting married some day.

"Good flight?" Charlie asked as he loaded our bags into the back.

"Yeah, I don't think Bear liked it, though." Bella commented. She let him out of his crate and he hopped up into the cab. There was plenty of room for the three of us in front and Bear in the back seat. I stowed the crate in the truck bed then go into the cab next to Bella.

"He won't get sick will he? This truck is new." Charlie asked as he started the engine.

"No, I didn't feed him any breakfast before his sedative." Bella reached back and patted Bear on the head then rubbed behind his ears.

"If he starts to gag on the way back, there's a bucket in the other seat."

"Dad!" Bella looked over at her father in shock as I sat shaking with silent laughter.

Charlie merely shrugged. "I said this truck is new. Birthday gift to myself."

"Oh, dad," Bella rubbed her forehead with her palm, giving up the fight for now.

I continued to laugh to myself.

"What are your plans for the week?" Charlie asked as we pulled into the driveway of his house.

"Relaxing," Bella sighed as she stretched.

"How about some fishing at the beach, it's supposed to be beautiful weather. Would you two be interested in camping? Billy and Jacob have been talking about going next weekend."

Bella looked over at me and I shrugged. I was game if she was. So long as Jacob didn't do anything stupid like the last vacation we spent here.

"Sure, dad, lets do it."

"Great, I'll start making plans with Billy. Oh, you'll be surprised to hear that Jacob has a girlfriend now. Just so you're aware and don't get a shock this weekend."

Bella's mouth fell open in a perfect little 'O'. "Um…thanks for the warning."

I took Bear for a walk while Bella unpacked everything and decided what to do for dinner. I knew Charlie would either want to take us out to the diner or order in. Knowing Bella she wouldn't let her father eat like that for the millionth night in a row.

True to my suspicions just as I was arriving back with Bear, Bella was walking out the front door with her purse and a piece of paper clutched in her hand. I dropped Bear off inside and told Charlie it was ok to feed him some rice if he had it.

"So what's on the list?" I asked as we began walking the aisles at the local grocery store.

"A week's worth of real food. I can't believe all he had in the freezer was pizza and fish." Bella selected a variety of fruits and vegetables for the week then we moved on to meat. On her list was chicken and beef, and I knew she was shopping for the camping trip as well.

"What's for dinner tonight?"

"Fettuccini, something easy." She shrugged, placing a jar of garlic alfredo sauce in the cart.

She started on dinner as soon as we got back, despite my protests that she should go lay down and I would cook. "Come on, I know you're tired." I stood behind her at the stove, my hands on her hips as she stirred the noodles.

"I _am_ tired, Edward, but I'll cook. Stop fussing over me and feed Bear his dinner." Bella indicated our dog where he sat at our feet looking up at me with those big, watery eyes. I kissed the top of Bella's head in surrender of the conversation and went about feeding our dog.

All was quiet as we finished dinner, Charlie having gone down the station briefly to check on things. We had food on the table by the time he arrived back. He was surprised that Bear remained curled up in the doorway between the living room and kitchen and never begged.

"He's well behaved." Charlie observed as he ate.

"We spent enough time working with him to make sure he behaves, so I certainly hope he stays that way."

Bella threw me a sideways smile. She knew Bear tended to listen more so to me than her, he had always been that way. Some male bonding thing, although he did love us equally.

Bella asked how things were going with Sue and Charlie informed us that they had found a nice house and were in the middle of a bidding war with another family. Charlie was confident in the end that they would get it. If that was the case, they wanted to move in by June.

Charlie offered to do the dishes when we all finished, much to Bella's surprise.

"You two have had a long day, go relax." He shooed us upstairs without so much as an argument or a second glance.

This was new. Typically he got uncomfortable when Bella and I ventured upstairs together. Ever since he caught us in bed together that first summer we spent here. Never again, and I made sure by putting a lock on her doorknob the next time we stayed. Charlie never argued about it. Only harrumphed as I installed it. I had to admit, I kept thinking he would go for his gun and shoot me in the groin, but he never did.

Knowing that we had the upstairs to ourselves for the better part of the evening, Bella and I stumbled into bed together after divesting each other of our clothes. I was glad we picked up a fresh box of condoms before our trip. We were going to need them this week, and maybe even this weekend if we could manage time alone together. I already intended on making sure Bella and I had our own tent.

"Edward," She sighed my name in reverence as she came undone beneath me. Two more thrusts and I followed her into oblivion, pressing my mouth against hers to silence my moan.

We spent the remainder of the week relaxing in the house, catching up on some sleep, and not catching up on some sleep. Although we only did the latter when Charlie wasn't home. We took Bear for walks and ate lunch at the diner a couple of times. Thursday afternoon Bella and I volunteered to get all of the camping gear out of the shed and make sure none of it was moldy. One tent was in good condition, the others not so much.

To add to it, Charlie's camping cooler was in desperate need of replacing and his small gas grill used for boiling water was rusted. So we left Bear curled up on the couch in the living room and took a trip to Olympic Outfitters to pick up gear for this weekend.

The three of us, and Bear, headed out around ten the next morning. Jacob, his dad Billy, and a girl I assumed to be Jacob's girlfriend were already at the campsite. Billy and Charlie headed down to the river almost immediately to start fishing while us 'young ones' set up camp.

Jacob flipped his dad off in fun behind his back, a huge smile on his face. I could tell he was happy to see Bella, but he spent more time making goo goo eyes at the girl whose named I learned to be Vanessa. I wasn't exactly sure how sleeping arrangements were going to work out. We had a tent for me and Bella and Bear, one for Charlie, and by the looks of it Jacob, Vanessa and Billy would be sharing one large five-person tent.

"I can't believe you two got a puppy." Jacob commented as he rubbed Bear behind the ears. Bear's tail thumped happily against the ground at the attention.

"Sometimes I can't believe it either." Bella sighed, watching Bear as he soaked up all of the love he was being given. "What were we thinking?" She asked, turning to me.

I looked up from where I was driving stakes into the ground to hold our tent upright. "Well, if we can raise a dog together and not fuck it up somehow, I'm guessing it proves we might make good parents some day."

Bella chuckled and tossed a small piece of wood at me.

Jacob just stood off to the side smiling and pointing out that Bella's sense of aim still hadn't improved.

"Well, she's not armed with kitchen implements at the moment. Her aim is significantly better when she has a plate or butter knife in her hand."

Vanessa began laughing so hard at my joke that she almost fell over. I was glad someone found it funny.

"Any hotdogs left?" Charlie asked as he and Billy reappeared around dinnertime. Charlie carried the new cooler, which I assumed was now packed with fish for the rest of the weekend.

"We saved a few." I held up the plate with the last four hotdogs on them. "Had to do everything I could think of to keep Jacob from eating them." I felt his eyes on me and the scowl he was sending my way from across the fire. Well, it was the truth. The kid had an appetite like a wolf.

"I'm assuming Bear is sleeping with you two?" Charlie asked as he settled next to the fire and bit into his first hotdog.

"Yeah, why?" Bella asked, watching her marshmallow so it didn't burn.

"Because that dog snores like a chainsaw. Woke me up from a dead sleep the other night on the couch." Charlie laughed.

"That sounds like Jacob," Vanessa volunteered, her face pinking as she revealed that private information. A chorus of laughs sounded around the fire, myself included, while Jacob merely crossed his arms and pretended to be hurt by his girlfriend's outburst.

The rest of the evening wasn't as exciting. Charlie and Billy headed off to bed earlier. Jacob disappeared for a few minutes to help his dad with the wheelchair and came back cuddling up with his girlfriend. Bella was falling asleep against my shoulder. We had already taken Bear on one last walk for the night and he was asleep in the tent already.

"Is there any chance at all that I might get lucky tonight?" I asked as we crawled into the one huge sleeping bag we had zipped together from two separate ones.

"Only if you want Jacob to tease us mercilessly tomorrow in the kayaks."

"Point well made. I don't think your dad would look too kindly on me if four of us went out tomorrow and only three came back."

"But judging from their interaction tonight, I'm sure Vanessa would find it very amusing."


	16. Acceptance and Alcohol

**Chapter 16, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**BPOV**

As soon as we got home I could tell Bear was glad to be there. His tailed wagged feverishly as we walked through the door. He jumped up on the couch, promptly curled up and fell asleep. I couldn't say Edward and I shared his joy.

Now that spring break was over I could very clearly see the light at the end of the semester. But it still felt so far away, like twenty thesis pages away. I grabbed up the pile of mail off the floor before Edward fell in it and dumped it on the kitchen counter.

"You want to unpack or do laundry?" He asked as he carried our suitcase into the bedroom.

"Laundry,"

"Ok, I'll work on dinner."

"Ok," I yawned and stretched. I watched from around the corner at the washing machine as Edward worked over the stove stirring something that smelled yummy.

"Bear, come on, dinner." I heard him call as I stuffed the last few bits of clothing into the machine and shut the door. I could hear Bear trot into the kitchen and then begin to gobble down his food.

I loved the sounds of our apartment. The 'ding' of the microwave announcing that whatever was inside was done, the sizzle and pop of food in the frying pan on the stove. It smelled like ground beef. The scrape of Bear's food bowl on the floor as he pushed it around to get the bits of kibble inside to move closer to his mouth. Edward chuckled, probably watching.

"Five minutes." He called to me.

Wow, already?

He was setting the table as I walked into the kitchen. I glanced at the pan on the stove. Sloppy Joe's, oh yes… He knew me too well. "What's going with it?" I asked, taking my seat.

"I steamed some broccoli."

"Did you put cheese on it?"

"Of course I did."

Edward sat next to me and we began to make sandwiches, trading opinions back and forth about our vacation. He liked that Jacob had a girlfriend, but he didn't think it was going to last another six months.

"She seemed really clingy over the weekend. But we've only met her once, maybe she's not as clingy as she came off as." He shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich.

"Maybe's she's not. But I have a feeling you're right."

"I don't think camping with your dad is going to be high on my priority list for a while."

I chuckled into my food, making a little bit fall on the floor. "Bear, freebie!" I called out. I knew it was a terrible habit to get him in to, but he never begged afterward.

"What part did you hate? The forced fishing venture, my dad's horrible cooking, or the snoring?"

"I didn't think anyone could beat Bear out, but I was wrong."

I laughed again, making sure this time, the bits of my Sloppy Joe fell on to my plate.

March finished quickly and soon we were into April. I had ten pages down towards the end of my thesis, ten to go in the next three weeks. I had time. But that didn't include meeting with my advisor, getting those pages approved, and then the hours of editing and proofreading.

Edward had only a few pages left in the massive report write up he had been working on all semester long for his immunology class. I felt bad for him some nights. When I thought the amount of work I had to do was tough, I would look over at the medical texts Edward went through on a daily basis, the notes he made for his report, and the detailed drawings he had to include, and I felt like my 70-page thesis was a breeze.

After a particularly grueling week, where five of my pages that I had slaved over for three late nights were rejected, and Edward was told to redo two of his drawings that had taken an all-nighter to complete, we went out for dinner after classes.

Three hours had been spent bent over books in the library. I was desperately trying to find new ideas to bounce off of in my last chapter, and I was sorely running short on them. Edward had his laptop open to an internet image of the cell he was now trying to re-render for his report. He would draw a few light lines, erase them and start over. And then draw a few lines, erase them and start over again.

Yes, it was tortuous to watch, but this was most likely the most detail-oriented write-up he would have to do for some time. Immunology was by far the toughest class he had taken, and right now he was riding a B+, which was impressive. An A was completely dependent on his report and his final exam and lab practical. If he scored high on all three he would earn an A for the semester. I was rooting for him.

So after three hours of nonstop work, we packed up and slumped out of the library together back to his car. We stopped home to walk Bear and feed him and get changed. I let Edward pick the restaurant since I had no idea what I was in the mood for. He chose a nice Japanese place, and we opted for Hibachi instead of a table tonight. We needed to unwind and have a good time. Our table was joined by a group of four out for a friends' night. It was a rowdy bunch, but Edward and I kept to our Saki in quiet.

I hadn't been out for Hibachi in a long time, and it wasn't something we normally indulged in since it was so expensive. To save a little money since we would need to go grocery shopping this weekend, we ordered a shared meal for two instead of two separate entrées. I wanted salmon and Edward was in the mood for shrimp, so we decided on the seafood combo that included both of our choices.

After the usual entertainment by the chef as he cooks, we ate our meal with a whispered conversation between us. The other members at our table paid us little attention, probably assuming we were too caught up in our own bubble. Well, they would have been right.

"So how many weeks until the end of the year?" Edward asked as he expertly picked up some rice with his chopsticks and ate it.

"Well, we have three weeks left in March, four in April, and the first two weeks of May. So nine total."

Edward groaned as he popped a piece of chicken in his mouth. "That's too many." He answered while chewing.

"Well, compare it to the last three years we've been counting down. It's not that bad."

"Fair point."

"So is yours. Do you want to do anything special?"

"I would love to go away for a weekend, but where would we go?"

"Just a weekend?"

Edward shrugged. "Alice and my parents want to have a huge party for you, me, and Jasper. A weekend alone with you would be great."

"Any excuse to throw a party and Alice will do it."

Edward nodded, "I know. So I was thinking if we decide to go away for a few days, we plan to fly out the evening of the party, that way we have a valid excuse to duck out early." He smiled enthusiastically at the genius of his plan.

I put my fork down and gave him a look. "And what would we say to your family, and probably my family, my mother at least, as well?"

"We made these plans before the date of the party was announced and it was too late to change our flight without getting hit with a cancellation fee."

I played with the food still on my plate for a moment before throwing Edward another look, "You're unbelievable." He chuckled at me and scooped up some more fried rice with his chopsticks. "If we go away where would you like to go?"

Edward shrugged. "Some place quiet preferably."

"Like where?" I asked looking for specification. I stole the last piece of salmon from Edward's plate since I had finished mine already. He gave me a WTF look and I giggled.

"Like maybe somewhere far away. Like maybe across the pond far away."

"You mean in Europe?"

"I thought England, I know you want to go there."

"I can't just go there for a few days. I would need weeks."

"Ok, we can make it weeks. Hey, we've earned a trip like that, come on."

"I'll think about it, but I really wanted to put the money I was going to get from my parents for graduation towards a down payment on a nice little house for us."

"Well, if you're going to put it that way." Edward looked at his plate guiltily.

I quickly added, "But I suppose we still have a few years before we make that decision, right?"

"Right," He beamed.

"Now we just need to get through the next nine weeks."

And his smile effectively disappeared.

**EPOV**

I may be a glutton for punishment, or maybe just slightly masochistic, but ever since dinner a few weeks ago I keep asking Bella what the countdown was to the end of our undergraduate career. And she keeps telling me, because I want her to. I can tell its getting old for her, since she now sighs every time I ask her.

I just can't wait to be done. Four years have gone by so fast, and I can't believe they're almost over. It may be early April but I still haven't heard back from all of the medical schools I applied to. Of the five I sent applications to I've heard back from two, both acceptances. But I haven't heard from either my first choice, or my second.

I got nervous a couple days ago and asked my dad for advice. He told me he had waited a fair amount of time as well, and wound up being accepted to his first choice, so it was well worth the wait. He told me the longer a school takes in deciding means they are giving you a lot of consideration. I suppose I should be grateful for that, but fuck am I nervous as hell.

"You need to relax."

I looked up from my plate of spaghetti and sauce at her. "What?"

"I said you need to relax, Edward."

"It's hard to when your first choice of medical school still hasn't responded after four months of reviewing your application."

"You'll get a response, don't worry."

"What if they say no?"

"How many times are we going to have this conversation?" Bella asked, putting her fork down although she had a bundle of noodles wrapped around it.

"Until my letter comes in." I responded after thinking about it for a minute. I quickly shoved a forkful of food into my mouth before I could say something else to frustrate her further.

Bella regarded me hesitantly for the rest of the week. I hated that she had to feel like she needed to walk on eggshells around me, but I really was starting to get a little testy.

We came back from classes on Friday afternoon tired from a long week. "Shit, I forgot to check the mail, can you get it while I get Bear ready for his walk?" I asked. I tossed Bella the mailbox key from the glass bowl by the door.

She dropped her bag inside the door, gave me a quick peck and headed back out to where the mailboxes were located in the complex. I stood outside waiting, watching her flip through the mail as she walked back. Bear whined at my feet, needing to pee really bad.

"Anything important?" I asked.

"Go take Bear for his walk." Bella told me. That was a yes. I let out a breath and nodded. I took my time with Bear's walk, trying not to think about the envelopes in Bella's hands and wondering which school had finally responded with an answer.

Bella was sitting at the kitchen table when I got back. The envelope was sitting between her chair and mine, and she had put out two glasses of water.

"Ok," I breathed sitting down next to her. She handed me the envelope and got up to stand behind me as I opened it. I suddenly felt like Charlie from _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ opening the chocolate bar very slowly and finding that golden ticket inside despite all odds.

I pulled the piece of paper out and unfolded it. I only had to read the first few words.

_Mr. Cullen, Congratulations!_

"Holy shit, I got in!" I shouted jumping up from my chair. I turned and grabbed Bella's face between my hands and kissed her passionately. She threw her arms around my neck and kissed me back. I picked her up and spun her around as she laughed with joy, Bear yelping at our feet.

"Good, now we can have this." She said as I put her down. She went to the fridge and got out a bottle of _Captain Morgan Tattoo_ along with two shot glasses from the cabinet.

"Did you think I wasn't going to get in when I got the letter?" I asked as she poured two shots of the rum.

"No, I got it regardless of their answer." She handed me a glass. I threw it back with her and she quickly poured another one. "Let's call your parents and go out tonight."

"I'd rather celebrate with just you." I wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to me pressing the length of my body against hers.

"We have all weekend for that." Bella replied quietly. "Lets celebrate with your family tonight and then we can celebrate alone all weekend."

I stood there and quickly glanced over the first few sentences of the letter before turning back to her.

"If you insist."


	17. Plans For The Future

**Chapter 17, revised**

**I do not own Twilight**

**EPOV**

The last two weeks of the semester had been hell. But now it was all over and done with. Finals were taken and were graded. All papers and projects were handed in and reviewed. Graduating seniors always got their grades back early since they needed to be recorded in order to actually graduate.

I sat in the living room typing in the address to the college's homepage, logged into my student account, and clicked on the file for my unofficial transcript so I could see what four years of hard work had earned me.

"Are you looking?" Bella asked me as she sat down next to me, placing two glasses and a bottle of red wine in front of us.

"Yeah, and I'm nervous as hell."

"Not as nervous as I am. I didn't get a very good vibe from Dr. Snow when I handed him my final draft for a last revision."

I remember walking Bella to her advisor's office so she could hand in her official, just recently picked up from the copy center at Staples, final thesis packet. I watched her as she placed it in the separate mailbox set up in the office for all theses being handed in. Her hands shook as she dropped the 75-page thick bundle, covered and bound, into the bin. She then turned to me and grabbed my bicep leading me from the office.

"Get me out of here before I take it back and rewrite the whole thing." She muttered as we walked out. I glanced back over my shoulder. The secretary in the office just smiled to herself and shook her head.

"Well," Bella asked me now as she watched me scroll down the screen to the semester recently completed.

"Fuck you," I muttered at the screen. 3.89 cumulative GPA.

"Hey, that's fantastic, babe!" Bella shouted, locking her arms around my neck. "That's Magna Cum Laude."

"Yeah, so close to perfection." I pinched my fingers together in a frustrated way.

Bella smacked my shoulder. "Hey, you can't always be perfect."

"Let's see yours." I started typing away again. I signed myself out and signed Bella in. She curled up next to me as I scrolled down the page, chewing on her thumbnail.

"Let me see my final grade for my thesis first." I scrolled down to her class list. "Bastard," she muttered.

"A- is good."

"It was worth an A, that's an entire two semesters of work. What's my cumulative?" She pressed her fingers over her eyes as I scrolled down a little further.

"Oh man, you're not going to like this." I teased.

"Is it that bad?" Bella asked, not peeking through her fingers.

"Worse, 3.91,"

This time I got smacked with a pillow. "Don't do that to me!" Bella shrieked. She put the pillow down and finally reached for the wine pouring herself a whole glass. She took a very generous sip before filling mine and refilling hers.

"Congrats, I'm so proud of you." I clinked my glass against hers and kissed her.

"I'm proud of you, too. I told you, you could do it."

"I should listen more often."

"Yes, you should."

Bear barked in agreement from his dog bed by the TV. I hated being outnumbered.

A week and a half Bella and I drove back over to the campus. She would be returning in the fall to begin her graduate studies and I would be starting medical school. I gripped her hand as we walked into the gym. A few other students were milling around, still dressed in just civilian clothes. Bella had her gown over her arm, and I had mine slung over my shoulder.

I recognized one of my professors and waved. He waved back, ushering Bella and I forward. "I don't know if you ever met, but this is Bella Swan, my fiancé." I introduced her to Dr. Michaels.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella." He shook her hand. "He's a smart one, you better keep him in line."

"Oh, I already do." Bella responded assuredly.

"All the students are gathering in the cafeteria. They have some food laid out for everyone, in case you're hungry. You both better get over there." He glanced at his watch, "Families will start arriving soon and they need to separate students by their schools."

"Maybe Jasper is here already." Bella said excitedly as we walked over after saying goodbye to my professor.

"If he is, that means Alice is here already as well."

Sure enough my younger sister was in the cafeteria with Jasper, sitting next to him until she had to leave and join the rest of our family in the audience. Since Bella, Jasper and I were all graduating together, we had nine tickets between us, and that was enough to invite my parents, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Bella's parents, including Phil. Only Renee could make it North to see us. Charlie was stuck pulling double shifts on the other side of the country, but he promised to watch the live internet feed and call Bella as soon as the ceremony was over to congratulate her.

"So, have they started separating everyone yet?" I asked as I sat on Alice's other side. Bella was getting some coffee from the snack table set up.

"About ten minutes." Jasper answered, glancing at his watch.

"I guess I should go find everyone." Alice sighed, unwilling to leave. Jasper got up with her and kissed her goodbye for now.

"Congrats!" She called as she walked out toward the gym.

A few minutes later all of the directors began separating us into our schools. Jasper went off to sit with the School of Liberal Arts, grabbing a seat somewhere in the middle for now until he was directed elsewhere.

"Oh my God, where the hell do I sit?" Bella asked, looking around.

"Oh shit, right, double major. Uh…Let's ask."

Bella wound up sitting with the School of Science in the back, since biology had been her first declared major. I sat with the School of Science and Medicine, only one section away from her. I waved and she blew me a kiss back. For now we were stuck in our seats until we were called to walk over to the gym. Everyone needed to stay organized.

I glanced at the program looking for all of our names, and the order the schools would be called in. General Studies was first, followed by Liberal Arts and Humanities since they were the two largest. Math and Technology was after that, followed by Law, and then Science, and finally Science and Medicine. There were 1,234 students graduating today. The number blew my mind, but when I thought of how many total students attended this school, it wasn't that large of a number.

Finally after nearly a half hour of sitting, and texting sweet little messages back and forth to Bella, we were all finally called to start walking over to the gym. I waited for all of the schools to get up, and then followed my fellow pre-med majors out of the cafeteria. As we neared the gym I could hear the familiar chords of _Pomp and Circumstance_, bringing back memories of my high school graduation.

Applause was already erupting in the gym for the students who had walked in minutes before. Almost everyone in the stands was on their feet whistling and cheering for their grown up kids on as they walked in. I tried to spot my family, but for now they were lost in a sea of faces.

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out as I kept walking over to the designated area for my school. I sat down and clicked the screen.

_Up and to your left, dumbass. :P – E_

I smirked at Emmett's text message and looked up in the spot he indicated. My mom and Alice waved enthusiastically.

The music died down as the president of the college took the stage and began the opening speeches. His was brief, thankfully. Our class speaker and guest were up next. I didn't time them, but I was guessing each was about ten minutes or so. I kept sending text messages to Bella and Alice, groaning about how boring all of this was, and how much I just wanted my diploma already. Bella texted a wink back at me with an '_I know_' attached to it.

A couple honorary degrees were given out to special guests at the ceremony, and then finally the announcement for the handing out of the diplomas. Of course I knew I wouldn't be getting the actual piece of paper in my hand today, it would come in a month or so, but I got the special holder for it. Ooh…Ahh….

I cheered and clapped from my seat when Jasper's name was announced Suma Cum Laude. I heard Alice screeching '_I love you, Jasper!_' from the stands, despite that the families in attendance had been asked to hold all cheering until the end.

A few schools later and Bella was up, walking across the stage and accepting her diploma. I whistled as loud as I could for her.

"Girlfriend?" the guy next to me asked.

"Fiancé," I replied.

"Congrats, man."

"Thanks,"

"Yes, finally. We're up." He said a minute later, indicating that our row was standing and getting ready to file down to the stage.

I handed the card with my name written on it the way I wanted it pronounced to the woman on the stage as I walked up, and she handed it to the dean of my school who was presenting our diplomas.

"Edward Cullen, Magna Cum Laude." He called out as I walked across the stage and accepted my diploma cover from him, shaking his hand. I knew him on a somewhat friendly level. I had been to his office a couple times to discuss med school options. "Congratulations, Edward. Good luck in the fall."

"Thank you, sir."

I stopped on my way back to my seat for the parade of pictures in front of the college flag and the flag for my school. "I love you, babe!" I turned my head to see Bella waving frantically from her seat.

"Love you, too," I mouthed back to her.

As soon as I got back to my seat I had a text kiss from Bella. I sent it right back to her. I watched the last of the students from my school walk across the stage. All graduating students were invited to stand and as one flip our tassels.

Our college president made one last final announcement, "I proudly present the graduating class of 2012! Congratulations to you all."

A thousand black caps went up in the air at once. I caught mine on the back down, not wanting to lose it, since I fully intended to hang the tassel with my college pennant back at the apartment.

Bella rushed to me as soon the crowd thinned enough. She jumped right into my arms throwing hers around my neck. The last three years, growing together as a couple through the stress of college, had come down to this point. I had been counting the days to this moment since she gave me a second chance in our junior year. The day I thought everything could be over, she took me back.

We've had some tough snags to get through, but here we stood on our graduation day together.

"Wow, I can't believe it. Now just two more years to go and I have my graduate degree."

"Two years for you, three for me. If I'm lucky."

"Three, don't worry." Bella looked down to her pocket and pulled her phone out. "Hey, dad! Aww, thanks." She pulled the phone away from her ear and covered the mouthpiece. "He says congrats to you, too."

"Tell him thanks."

"Edward says thank you. Yeah, we're going out tonight. I don't know where, Edward's family is keeping it a secret for the three of us. Oh, Jasper graduated a year early so he could get a head start on med school. I don't blame him, it's a lot of years."

"Too many," I mumbled next to Bella.

"That was Edward, he said it's too many years." Bella pulled the phone away from her ear again. "He says you can do it. You're definitely smart enough."

I scoffed and feigned being hurt a little.

"I love you, too, dad. I'll see you this summer. Bye,"

Bella shoved her phone inside her pocket then turned to me and threw her arms around my neck again. "I'm so glad it's finally over."

"Me, too." I kissed the top of her head. We stood there for a minute just holding each other, basking in the calmness of the bubble around us. Of course Emmett was the one to burst it, but rushing over and swooping Bella up, making her shout in surprise.

"You're such an ass, Emmett Cullen!" Bella started smacking him with her cap.

"That he is." Rosalie agreed with a smile on her face. "Come on, back off, Em. Your parents want to take pictures of everyone."

And so began the endless parade of yet more pictures. Bella, Jasper and I all posed together for some, and then separately. Jasper and Alice took pictures together, Bella and I together. And then of course whole family shots were done.

I noticed by now that many of the professors and the president of the college were milling around, making conversation, and some were stopping for pictures as well. I got pictures with my advisor, and two of my favorite professors. Bella got a nice picture with her thesis advisor, and I think Jasper could have cared less if he didn't see some of his professor any time soon.

By the end of the afternoon we were all exhausted and starving. My mom had booked dinner reservations for 8 at a nice restaurant, and that was all she was telling us. At least we knew to dress up a little.

"I really want a shower." Bella moaned as we walked in the door of our apartment.

"You and me both, three hours in that gym in this heat is just too much."

"Share a shower?" Bella asked, kicking off her heels.

"Sounds good to me."

**BPOV**

3 Months Later

"So now that Bear is a year old, you think we should get another dog?" I asked incredulously.

We weren't two steps in the door getting back from visiting my dad in Washington for three weeks, and he brings this up. "Are you clinically insane?"

"Jasper would be the one to determine that." Edward joked. He let Bear out of his kennel to run free in the apartment. I don't think I had ever seen him so happy to be home.

"We can't have two dogs in this apartment, Edward."

"So we don't get another big one like Bear, we get a small one."

"For you, Bear is a small dog."

I slumped down on the couch and kicked my feet up on the coffee table.

"I think it would be an adventure." Edward sat down next to me, extending his arm back across the couch.

"That's what you said when you wanted to get Bear."

"And it was an adventure."

I snorted. It was so much more than that.

"What kind of dog are you thinking? No puppies."

"No, no puppies. At least one-year-old, house broken of course. But I was thinking… a golden doodle."

"A what?" I asked sitting up a little.

"A golden doodle. It's a cross between a golden shepherd and a poodle. It's supposed to not shed."

"How big do they get?"

"50 pounds or so. I was thinking of getting a female. Spade, of course."

"You know Bear will probably try and hump her anyway, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Come on, if we can do such a good job with Bear and another dog, we'll make great parents."

He sounded so enthusiastic about it I couldn't dampen his mood right now. I had to wonder if he had been thinking about the whole vacation and had been devising a plan on how exactly he would get me to agree to this.

"We're going to need to get a bigger apartment."

"Yeah…my parents wanted to talk to us about that."

"No," I jumped up. "No, no. They already helped us with this place. I don't want them helping us with a bigger apartment. I can't take that from them."

Edward got up and grabbed my hands, pressing a finger to my mouth to shut me up. "Will you stop and let me finish you ding bat? When Emmett graduated he was given access to the fund that my parents set up for each us when we were born. Now that I have graduated, I have access to mine. But my parents want us to sit down with them so they can explain how it works and what they recommend we do with it. I was thinking…a down payment on a nice little starter house for me, you, a couple dogs…maybe a baby down the road in a few years."

I narrowed my eyes at him for a moment. He knew exactly how to play me. And it wasn't fair.

"Would it be a down payment, or would you be buying the house in full?"

"Well, considering today's market and what some people are asking for, I think it would depend on the house itself, how much work, if any, would need to go into it, and the space available. If we find something and we think it's a fair price I say buy it."

"How much is in this fund of yours?"

"That I don't know."

"Ok, let's go talk to them."

Over the next few weeks we started looking online at available houses close by. When nothing in that area interested us, we branched out a little further. There were some nice starter homes in the neighborhood where Emmett and Rosalie had moved to, but I didn't know if I wanted to be living that close to Edward's brother. I didn't want to have to wake up in the middle night because I could hear him and Rosalie going at it two houses down.

Edward mentioned looking for something in the neighborhood where his parents lived, but when I asked if he really wanted to live that close to his parents, he threw the idea out. By the beginning of September we decided to put the idea on hold for a few weeks while we both got settled into new years at different schools.

But the discussion of another dog was still up in the air. We had agreed not to add another addition until we had a bigger space. So everything was on hold for now. I could live with that, and so could Edward. We still had a long ways to go before we would be established in our grown up life away from school. But getting there was going to be an adventure, and I can't wait to start it.


End file.
